India has taken major steps against Pakistan after terror attack in Pahalgam killed at least 27 people and injured many. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a cabinet committee security meeting and finalised the action on the neighbouring country. India halted the Indus Water Treaty temporarily, closed down posts various diplomats, imposed visa restrictions and closed the Attari checkpost with immediate effect. 

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Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri addressed a press conference and said, "The Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 will be held in abeyance with immediate effect, until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism."

India's BIG action after Pahalgam attack: Indus treaty halted, diplomats expelled, Pakistanis stopped from entering India

What is Indus Water Treaty?

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India and Pakistan, in 1960, made a formal agreement, called the Indus Waters Treaty, to decide how water will be shared between the both countries from the Indus river. The need for a treaty for water sharing arose after Independence when control over the river became a point of potential conflict between the two nations.

India briefly stopped water flow to Pakistan in 1948. Later, Pakistan complained to the United Nations (UN) that India wasn't letting enough water through. The UN suggested getting help, which led to the World Bank stepping in to mediate. After almost nine years of negotiation, India's then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Pakistan's then President Ayub Khan finally signed the agreement in 1960.

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The treaty splits the six main rivers of the Indus system between India and Pakistan:

India got control of three eastern rivers:

  • Ravi
  • Beas
  • Sutlej

Pakistan got control of the three western rivers:

  • Indus
  • Chenab
  • Jhelum

Some critics say that the treaty benefits Pakistan more, as it receives about 80 per cent of the total water flow. These rivers are vital for agriculture in Pakistan, especially in the provinces of Punjab and Sindh. Pakistan relies substantially on this water supply for irrigation, farming and potable water. Stopping the Indus water will affect Pakistan's agricultural sector and its already fragile economy. Pakistan faces massive water supply issues in a few areas and the halt of the treaty will increase these issues for Pakistan.

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