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India has suspended the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty and is wielding water as a weapon, choking off flows from the Chenab River to Pakistan.
The Pahalgam terror attack, where militants singled out and slaughtered Hindu men, was a gruesome wake-up call for India. For too long, New Delhi has endured Pakistan’s provocations—think 26/11, Uri, Pulwama. But now, India is hitting back with a vengeance, and it’s not just with bullets or bombs. In a stunning escalation, India has suspended the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty and is wielding water as a weapon, choking off flows from the Chenab River to Pakistan. By slamming shut the gates of the Baglihar and Salal dams, India is starving Pakistan’s fields during a critical sowing season. Experts speaking to CNBC TV18 call this a seismic shift in India’s strategy—a multi-pronged assault that blends water control, economic strangulation, and diplomatic isolation to make Pakistan pay.
Imagine you’re a farmer in Pakistan’s Punjab, staring at a bone-dry canal when your crops need water to grow. That’s the crisis unfolding now. India has begun “flushing” its dams, a process where reservoirs like Baglihar and Salal are emptied and slowly refilled. Former Indus Waters Commissioner PK Saxena explained that until the reservoirs are full—potentially 10 to 15 days or more—no water will flow downstream to Pakistan. “The timing is everything,” Saxena said, noting that India deliberately chose this moment to disrupt Pakistan’s sowing season for staples like wheat and rice. This isn’t routine maintenance; it’s a calculated strike to cripple Pakistan’s agriculture, the backbone of its economy.
India's diplomatic response after Pahalgam attack
But India’s playbook doesn’t end with water. The government has severed diplomatic ties, canceled all visas for Pakistanis, and shuttered the Attari border, the only land trade crossing between the two nations. Pakistani goods are banned, and their ships are barred from Indian ports. Manjeet Kripalani, Executive Director of Gateway House, suggested India should target Pakistan’s military-run businesses, which control over half of its economy. By blocking Pakistani cotton or soybeans from entering global supply chains, India’s massive market power could deal a crushing blow. Former Commerce Secretary Anup Wadhawan agreed, emphasizing that these measures aren’t just symbolic. Pakistan relies on Indian imports far more than India depends on theirs, so these bans will bite—hard.
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The roots of this aggressive stance lie in the Pahalgam attack’s brutality, but it’s also the culmination of years of frustration. Former diplomat Ashok Sajjanhar stressed that suspending the Indus Waters Treaty, which held firm through wars and terror attacks for over 65 years, is a historic move. “This sends a clear message to Pakistan’s army chief,” he said, arguing that proportionate responses won’t cut it anymore. India’s past actions—surgical strikes after Uri, airstrikes after Pulwama—weren’t enough to deter Pakistan. This time, India’s going bigger, blending economic pain, diplomatic freezes, and water warfare in what experts call “asymmetric warfare.” It’s a smarter, more holistic way to hit Pakistan where it hurts.
For Indian engineers, this is a moment of liberation. Abhay Kumar Singh, former NHPC Chairman, said the treaty gave Pakistan undue influence over India’s own rivers, as if they were the boss. Now, with the treaty scrapped, engineers have a free hand to manage dams like Baglihar and Salal. Flushing out silt during peak flows will extend the dams’ lifespans and boost storage for India’s needs. “The land is ours, the water is ours, the dam is ours,” Singh declared. India’s also fast-tracking new dam projects on the Chenab, aiming for 3,000 megawatts of power, and eyeing similar moves on the Kishanganga dam to throttle the Jhelum River. To top it off, India has stopped sharing water data with Pakistan, leaving them blind about river flows.
Impact on Pakistan
The impact on Pakistan could be devastating. Its economy, already on shaky ground, faces a grim outlook. Moody’s warns that escalating tensions could derail Pakistan’s fragile recovery and fiscal progress. Without water, crops will fail, food prices will soar, and public anger may turn on the military, which dominates the economy. Pakistan’s agricultural heartland, Punjab, is especially vulnerable during this sowing season. The water cuts are temporary—flows will resume once dams refill—but the damage will linger. India’s timing ensures maximum disruption, and the threat of repeating this tactic keeps Pakistan on edge.
India’s strategy isn’t without risks. Kripalani pointed out that Pakistan is already spinning a victim narrative in global capitals like Washington, portraying India as the aggressor. If the world buys this story, India could face diplomatic blowback. To counter this, India needs to sharpen its public relations game, something it’s lagged behind on compared to Pakistan’s slick propaganda. Winning the PR war is as crucial as the economic and water offensives.
India’s also flexing its tech muscle, blocking Pakistani movies, shows, and online content—an unexpected but savvy move in this digital age. Meanwhile, high-level meetings in New,message truncated due to character limit. Here's the continuation to complete the 700-word Op-Ed:
Delhi signal more actions are coming. Discussions about accelerating dam projects and possibly extending flushing to Kishanganga show India’s not easing up. This whole-of-government approach—water, trade, tech, diplomacy—marks a new chapter in India’s foreign policy toward Pakistan.
For the average Indian, this is straightforward: Pakistan’s terror attacks crossed a red line. The Pahalgam massacre demanded more than a slap on the wrist. By turning off the water tap, banning trade, and isolating Pakistan diplomatically, India’s sending a message that resonates with every citizen fed up with years of violence. It’s not just about punishing Pakistan; it’s about deterrence—making them think twice before sponsoring another attack.
But can India sustain this? The water cuts are temporary, and Pakistan may adapt. The economic bans hurt, but smuggling through third countries like Dubai could blunt their impact. Wadhawan suggested targeting these illicit trade routes to tighten the screws. Diplomatically, India must convince the world its actions are justified, not aggressive. If India falters in the PR battle or faces global pressure, the strategy could lose steam.
Still, the mood in India is resolute. Engineers like Singh feel empowered, farmers in Jammu and Kashmir may benefit from better water management, and citizens see a government finally standing tall. The Indus Waters Treaty’s suspension isn’t just about hurting Pakistan—it’s about reclaiming control over India’s resources and destiny. As Saxena put it, the timing is what makes this a masterstroke.
Will this be India’s new, iron-fisted policy for the long haul? The signs are promising, but consistency is key. Pakistan’s military and terror networks won’t back down easily, and India must stay vigilant. For now, by choking Pakistan’s water, trade, and global standing, India’s showing it’s done playing the patient neighbor. This is a new India—bold, strategic, and unafraid to hit back where it hurts most.
( The author Girish Linganna of this article is an award-winning Science Writer and a Defence, Aerospace & Political Analyst based in Bengaluru. He is also Director of ADD Engineering Components, India, Pvt. Ltd, a subsidiary of ADD Engineering GmbH, Germany. You can reach him at: girishlinganna@gmail.com )
