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India.com
18-06-2025
- Politics
- India.com
Arrogance Crushed? Pakistan Now Writing Letters To India – Heres The Real Reason
New Delhi: Pakistan is in the middle of a deepening water crisis – one of the worst in its history. With crops failing and dams running dry after India put the Indus Water Treaty in abeyance following April 22 Pahalgam terrorist attack, Islamabad now pleads with New Delhi to restore the agreement and resume water flow in Chenab River. There is a drastic drop in the flow of the river, which originates in India and plays a crucial role in irrigating Pakistan's breadbasket regions. According to experts, the flow from India under the Indus Waters Treaty has plunged by nearly 92%. It has triggered panic across Punjab and Sindh. On May 29, the situation turned dire when the Chenab's water flow – once at 98,200 cusecs – went down to a mere 7,200 cusecs. The current is now below what experts call the 'dead level', rendering canals ineffective. Over 40% of the kharif (summer) crops have already withered, and the rest are hanging by a thread. Roughly 65 million people across Punjab and Sindh depend on this river for irrigation. With no relief in sight and rising fears of crop failures, farmer unions have warned of a march to Islamabad. Their anger is mounting not only over the water shortage but also the government's failure to take concrete diplomatic steps with India. Estimates from agricultural watchdog Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) and the irrigation department suggest Pakistan has already suffered over Rs 4,500 billion in agricultural losses. Rainfall has been scarce. Groundwater levels are collapsing. Thousands of tube wells have run dry. The damage is no longer isolated, it is nationwide. Water levels at key dams like Mangla have dipped below critical thresholds. Analysts are now warning that if the situation persists, the country could slide into a full-blown food crisis. With storage reservoirs nearly empty and no alternative sources available, time is running out. Four Letters to India In a bid to restore some normalcy, Pakistan has sent four formal letters to India, urging the resumption of water flows under the Indus Waters Treaty. One of these letters reportedly followed India's recent 'Operation Sindoor'. All the letters were sent by Pakistan's Water Resources Secretary Syed Ali Murtaza to India's Ministry of Jal Shakti, and subsequently routed to the Ministry of External Affairs. Meanwhile, on the ground, farmers are openly ridiculing the government's 'Green Pakistan' campaigns. 'We do not want green brochures. We need green fields,' said one union leader from Punjab on the other side of the border. The sentiment is shared across rural belts, where glossy projects mean little if canals remain bone-dry. As water taps dry and political pressure mounts, Pakistan is caught in a race against time – scrambling for solutions in a crisis that is slipping out of control.
Express Tribune
16-06-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Govt plans tax to counter India's water threat
Pakistan has sought the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) permission to impose a special 1% tax on every taxable product produced in the country, except electrical energy and medicines, to fund two mega water storage dams as a solution to deal with Indian water aggression. The decision to impose a new cess has been taken after majority of the provincial governments showed reluctance to finance the early completion of the Diamer-Bhasha Dam and the Mohmand Dam, according to the sources in the Ministry of Water Resource and the Ministry of Finance. However, the government was also meeting opposition from the IMF, which has urged the federal government to try to find a space within the approved Rs1 trillion federal Public Sector Development programme, the sources revealed. The Diamer-Bhasha Dam worth Rs480 billion and Mohmand Dam – originally estimated to cost Rs310 billion – had been approved in 2018 but still a minimum Rs540 billion was needed for their completion. India has threatened to cut water supplies after it held the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in abeyance in violation of the treaty provisions and in the breach of the international law. Islamabad has plainly told India that any such act would be considered as an act of war. The sources said that as an alternate strategy, Pakistan has decided to fast track the construction of the two dams. However, due to its political priorities and pressing demands by the coalition partners, the government has reduced the water sector development budget by 28% to Rs133 billion for the next fiscal year. Now it wants to offset this by introducing a new tax. The sources said that the government has decided to levy a 1% cess on the gross value of all local taxable supplies to raise the additional funds, subject to the approval by the IMF and by parliament. They said that all the goods produced in Pakistan and subjected to tax are proposed to be charged at a new cess rate of 1%. The goods that are currently exempted from the sales tax under the Sixth Schedule, or are charged at a zero rate under the Fifth Schedule of the sales tax law would be immune to the cess. Likewise, the electrical energy goods and pharmaceutical goods are proposed to be exempted from the new cess. Cess is different from a normal tax and it can only be levied for a specific purpose, like the Gas Infrastructure Development Cess (GIDC) that had been imposed to fund Iran-Pakistan Gas Pipeline. Effectively, every good produced in Pakistan and consumed by all households would be subject to 1% new special tax, said the sources. The Ministry of Finance spokesman Qumar Abbasi and the Secretary Water Resources Ministry Syed Ali Murtaza did not respond to the request for comments. They have been asked to confirm the development and also the IMF's position. A senior Finance Ministry official said that the proposal was under consideration but the discussions with the IMF were still going on. He said that the cess would not be imposed through the Finance Act 2025, and instead a new separate bill will be introduced in parliament, subject to the IMF clearance. In the case of GIDC, the Supreme Court has decided that the cess can only be levied for a specific purpose and it requires separate legislation. This binds the government's hands from introducing the cess through the Finance Act, which is currently under discussion in parliament. The GIDC case is also an example of how the government is indifferent. The textile and fertiliser companies have not yet deposited over Rs400 billion in the kitty despite collecting those from the consumers. The finance and petroleum ministries are not able to make an effective strategy. One of the options is that instead of levy a new 1% cess, the government should amend the GIDC law and divert the already collected money towards building dams. On the intervention of the Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz, the government has again constituted a committee under the chairmanship of Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb to recover the GIDC. But this committee too is moving at a snail's pace. The sources said that the IMF's view was that the government should fund the dam projects from the PSDP instead of imposing more burden on the people. However, the Ministry of Water Resources has informed the government that it would take 15 years to complete the Mohmand Dam and over 20 years to finish work on the Diamer-Bhasha Dam at the current pace of the budget allocations. The PSDP is already overstretched and there is no space to fund these projects beyond the allocations made in the new budget, said Ahsan Iqbal, the federal minister for Planning and Development. He said that out of the Rs1 trillion allocations, effectively, Rs640 billion was available for funding the PSDP. Iqbal said that the remaining Rs360 billion had been allocated for spending on N-25 Karachi-Quetta road, provincial schemes and special areas' allocations. The sources said that after the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting earlier this month, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had also chaired a special meeting with the provinces to convince them to fund these two dams to deal with Indian aggression. In a follow-up meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, the provinces except Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa showed reluctance to fund federal projects, said the sources. The cost of the Diamer-Bhasha Dam had been estimated at Rs480 billion seven years ago and it still needs Rs365 billion more to complete the work against a price that is likely to increase further. For the next fiscal year, only Rs25 billion has been allocated for project, which is even less than this fiscal year. Likewise, the Mohmand Dam was approved at a cost of Rs310 billion seven years ago and it still requires a minimum of Rs173 billion more at the old price. Only Rs35.7 billion has been allocated in the new fiscal year. Earlier this week, Ahsan Iqbal said that the government has advanced the completion of both the projects by two years and these dams will be completed by 2030. He said that on completion, Pakistan will have 7 million acre feet of additional water storage capacity. Pakistan's two reservoirs Tarbela and Mangla dams are facing storage related issues due to sedimentation and other technical issues. The Sindh government has given a deficit budget for the next fiscal year and also showed zero-balance for the outgoing fiscal year. This has surprised many, as the provincial government had a cash surplus of Rs395 billion till March this year, according to the Ministry of Finance's fiscal operations summary. For the next fiscal year, Sindh has shown a Rs38.5 billion deficit budget, which defeats the IMF's core objective of getting Rs1.4 trillion cash surpluses from all the four provinces.
India.com
10-06-2025
- Politics
- India.com
Water For Peace Or Terrorism? India's Indus Treaty Suspension Sinks Pakistan Into Crisis, Diplomacy In Overdrive
New Delhi: In the rugged terrain of diplomacy and decades-old treaties, water – which is often considered the harbinger of life – has now turned into a powerful instrument of geopolitical assertion. What was once a rare symbol of bilateral cooperation between India and Pakistan, the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), now hangs in limbo, dangling between Islamabad's urgent pleas and New Delhi's steely silence. In April, India made a stunning move by suspending the treaty following the brutal Pahalgam terrorist attack, which killed 26 innocent lives in Jammu and Kashmir. For India, the message was enough is enough. Tolerance for cross-border terrorism has hit its limit, and business-as-usual is no longer acceptable, not even when it comes to sharing vital water resources. According to sources in New Delhi, Pakistan's Water Resources Secretary Syed Ali Murtaza has reached out multiple times to his Indian counterpart Debashree Mukherjee. His letters speak of urgency, diplomacy and an apparent willingness to address New Delhi's 'specific objections'. But India has not replied. Not once. India's official stance? 'No dialogue on water, unless terrorism ends—credibly and irreversibly.' The fallout from this hardline position has already begun to ripple across Pakistan. A recent report by Pakistan's own Indus River System Authority recorded a 13.3% drop in year-on-year water flow from the Indus River. This decline is jeopardising critical Kharif crop sowing in its Punjab province. Farmers are now at the mercy of delayed monsoon rains, with scorching heatwaves compounding the crisis. A Nation on the Brink What began as a tactical diplomatic suspension by India has morphed into a full-blown existential threat for Pakistan. Over 80% of its agriculture depends on the Indus system. The flow from rivers like Indus, Jhelum and Chenab, which Pakistan heavily relies on, has reduced drastically. Experts now warn of a dual crisis – agricultural collapse and potential floods, as India is no longer obligated to share critical flood data. Facing mounting pressure at home, Pakistan has unleashed a global diplomatic offensive. A nine-member delegation led by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari first landed in the United States and pitched Pakistan's side of the story before UN officials and senior American diplomats. 'Our message was Pakistan seeks peace,' said former Foreign Secretary Jalil Abbas Jilani. They were not only talking about water. They were talking about survival. Parliamentarian Khurram Dastgir warned US officials that the treaty's suspension 'endangers the livelihood of 240 million people'. Climate Minister Musadik Malik echoed those fears and flagged food security and environmental devastation as looming threats if the treaty is not revived. Pakistan also dispatched delegations to the United Kingdom, where lawmakers were told Islamabad remains 'committed to regional peace' and seeks to restore the IWT through 'composite dialogue'. India is Playing with Precision Back home, India remains unfazed by Pakistan's global outreach. Once unthinkable, the suspension of the IWT has triggered introspection within Indian strategic circles. Renowned geopolitical expert Brahma Chellaney called the treaty 'the world's most lopsided and inequitable water-sharing agreement'. He emphasised that Pakistan receives over 80.5% of the Indus system's waters, including almost 100% of the western rivers. Despite being the upstream state, India settled for only 19.5%. 'Pakistan repaid India's generosity not with gratitude, but with grenades and guns,' Chellaney wrote bluntly on X, citing a long list of terror attacks from the 2001 Parliament attack to the 2024 Pahalgam massacre. For him, the treaty is not only about water, it is about trust. And that trust, he says, is 'systematically dismantled'. Some Indian media reports incorrectly state that Pakistan gets 80% of the waters of the western rivers (the Indus system's three main rivers). As this chart from my book shows, Pakistan gets 80.52% of the total waters of the six-river Indus system — and almost 100% of the western… — Brahma Chellaney (@Chellaney) June 9, 2025 Former Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan, Satish Chandra, called the treaty a 'Brahmastra', warning that its full termination could cause 'extreme pain' and long-term disruption in Pakistan. What Happens Now? As Pakistan floods foreign capitals with diplomatic appeals and farmers grapple with parched fields, New Delhi remains unmoved. For India, any talks about Indus waters hinge solely on one condition: 'Concrete, irreversible action against terrorism.' Whether the global community can mediate or Pakistan can muster internal resolve to act on India's concerns remains to be seen. But for now, once a river of peace, the Indus is fast becoming a river of reckoning.
Time of India
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
India cannot hold talks on IWT until terror concerns addressed: Sources on Pak's repeated attempts
India will not engage with Pakistan on the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) till New Delhi's concerns regarding terrorism are addressed and the pact is completely revamped, sources said. They said Pakistan's Water Resources Secretary Syed Ali Murtaza has reached out multiple times, urging India to reconsider the decision to put the IWT in abeyance. In multiple letters to his Indian counterpart, Debashree Mukherjee, Murtaza has repeatedly expressed his government's readiness to discuss specific objections raised by New Delhi. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Crossout 2.0: Supercharged Crossout Play Now India has not responded to any of Pakistan's letters and will not engage with the neighbouring country in any capacity till New Delhi's concerns regarding terrorism are addressed and the pact is completely revamped, the sources said. India placed the 1960 IWT in abeyance following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack , in which 26 people were killed and Mukherjee had officially conveyed the decision to Pakistan. Live Events Brokered by the World Bank , the IWT has governed the distribution and use of the water of the Indus river and its tributaries between India and Pakistan since 1960. The Indus river system comprises the main river, the Indus, and its tributaries. Ravi, Beas and Sutlej are collectively referred to as the eastern rivers, while the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab are known as the western rivers. After putting the IWT in abeyance, India is planning a study to maximise the utilisation of its share of water within the treaty with Pakistan. The study aims at optimising water resources, including the development of new infrastructure, and ensuring that India's rights under the treaty are fully utilised.
New Indian Express
09-06-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
India ignores Pakistan calls on IWT, bolsters canal infra
NEW DELHI: Despite Pakistan's appeals for rethink on the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) 1960, India has chosen to remain silent. Instead, India is proactively bolstering its water storage and canal infrastructure, strategically positioning itself to divert the flow of water from Pakistan's rivers ahead of any negotiations. Officials of the Ministry of Jal Shakti and the Ministry of External Affairs have acknowledged that India has received four letters from Pakistan since the IWT was put on hold. The letters, sent by Pakistan's water resources secretary Syed Ali Murtaza, articulate the neighbouring country's desire for revival of the treaty and restoration of the cooperative framework that governs the flow of water resources. India put the IWT, brokered by the World Bank, on hold a day after 26 people, including one from Nepal, were killed in the April 22 Pahalgam attack. Pakistan is currently facing a severe water crisis affecting its Kharif crops amid extreme summer heat and India's regulation of Indus water. Reports indicate that Pakistan also approached the World Bank for intervention, but the organisation declined to intervene. Instead of responding to the treaty, the Indian government has chosen to enhance its water infrastructure to facilitate water diversion from the Indus basin before engaging in any future negotiations regarding revival of the treaty. After putting a set of water storage and run-of-river projects on fast track to hold more water, India has launched a pre-feasibility study for the Chenab-Ravi-Beas-Sutlej link canal project. The link canal will feed water to canals in Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan, and further link to the proposed Sharda canal.
