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India leverages water resources as strategic tool to tighten noose around ‘rogue state’ Pakistan

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New Delhi, April 24: India’s suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) is not only morally justified in light of continuing cross-border terrorism but also legally defensible due to repeated procedural violations by Pakistan, several experts reckoned on Thursday.

The action, they said, is a sovereign right exercised to protect national interest, security, and the integrity of international agreements, which depend on reciprocity and mutual adherence.

“​This step signals that while India has always honoured its international commitments, it will not be taken for granted when the other party – a rogue state like Pakistan – repeatedly breaches the spirit and terms of the agreement,” an analyst opined.

Under the Indus Waters Treaty signed between India and Pakistan in 1960, waters of three rivers – Ravi, Sutlej and Beas – averaging around 33 Million Acre Feet (MAF) were allocated to India for exclusive use. The waters of Western rivers – Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab – averaging to around 135 MAF were allocated to Pakistan except for specified domestic, non-consumptive and agricultural use permitted to India as provided in the Treaty.

Last August, India had served a formal notice to Pakistan seeking a review and modification of the IWT citing “fundamental and unforeseen changes in circumstances” that require a reassessment of obligations.

In the notice, India had highlighted that, under Article XII(3) of the IWT, its provision may from time to time be modified by a duly ratified Treaty concluded for that purpose between the two governments.

India’s notification highlighted fundamental and unforeseen changes in circumstances that require a reassessment of obligations under various Articles of the Treaty. Among various concerns, important ones included change in population demographics; environmental issues – need to accelerate development of clean energy to meet India’s emission targets; impact of persistent cross border terrorism, etc.

However, despite India’s repeated warnings, Pakistan was involved in serious violation of treaty protocols.

The eventual suspension of the treaty came only after persistent violations and was triggered further by national security threats, such as Tuesday’s Pahalgam terror attack, which has claimed 26 innocent lives.

The most critical breach occurred in 2016, when Pakistan unilaterally bypassed the treaty’s graded mechanism of dispute resolution outlined under Article IX of the IWT. This article mandates a stepwise escalation — from technical discussions to neutral expert adjudication and finally, if needed, to a Court of Arbitration.

In 2015, Pakistan initially requested a neutral expert to examine technical objections to India’s Kishanganga and Ratle Hydro Electric Projects. However, it withdrew this request next year and unilaterally approached the Court of Arbitration, violating the agreed dispute-resolution protocol. This deliberate deviation undermined the legal sanctity of the treaty and indicated a pattern of weaponizing legal mechanisms for political ends.

Recognising this breach, India issued a formal notice to Pakistan on January 25, 2023, calling for the modification of the treaty to ensure that the dispute resolution process could no longer be exploited unilaterally. ​By exhausting diplomatic options and adhering to procedural fairness, India demonstrated responsibility and restraint.

​Pakistan has also invoked the treaty’s dispute resolution provisions three times, not always in good faith.

The first instance involved objections to a hydropower project on the Chenab River in India-administered Kashmir. While Pakistan raised concerns that the project could give Indian engineers undue control over river flows, the World Bank-appointed neutral expert ruled in favour of India in 2007, validating the project’s design and sediment management as being in line with international best practices.

India has already set the stage to tighten the noose around Pakistan with several projects.

The Kishanganga Hydroelectric Project on a tributary of the Jhelum was commissioned in 2018 and diverts water from the Kishanganga River to a power plant in the Jhelum basin via a 23 km tunnel.

The Ratle Hydroelectric Project on Chenab was revived in 2021 with an 850 MW capacity as Pakistan raised concerns over potential flow manipulation.

The Tulbul Navigation Project on Jhelum was also never really off the table since the Uri attack in 2016 and can regulate water flow through a navigational lock-cum-control structure.

The Shahpurkandi Dam on Ravi was cleared in 2018 and completed in early 2024. It blocks surplus water from flowing into Pakistan, enhancing irrigation and power generation in India.

Similarly, the Ujh Multipurpose Project on a tributary of the Ravi, which was announced in 2020 is currently in the planning stage, combines storage, irrigation, and hydroelectric goals to cut off water flow to Pakistan.

It clearly shows that the IWT may only be temporarily suspended but the pressure is already building on Pakistan.

These developments clearly indicate a concerted effort by India to leverage water resources as a strategic tool in its geopolitical stance towards Pakistan and can have serious implications for the terror sponsors across the border.

Pakistan relies heavily on the Indus River system for irrigation, with about 80 per cent of its cultivated land – approximately 16 million hectares – depending on these waters. The agricultural sector contributes 23 per cent to Pakistan’s national income and supports 68 per cent of its rural inhabitants. Reduced water availability could lead to lower crop yields, food shortages, and economic instability.

The Indus basin also supplies 154.3 million acre-feet of water annually, which is vital for irrigating extensive agricultural areas and ensuring food security. Pakistan’s water storage capacity is low, with major dams like Mangla and Tarbela having a combined live storage of only about 14.4 MAF, which is just 10 per cent of Pakistan’s annual water share under the treaty. The suspension exacerbates these vulnerabilities by cutting off a guaranteed water supply.

The suspension of the IWT will also have significant economic implications for Pakistan, particularly in the agricultural and industrial sectors. It may also affect the country’s power generation capabilities, as hydropower is a crucial source of electricity.

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Strict action will now be taken against criminals who flee the country. Their passports will be cancelled and they will not be able to travel abroad.

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New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah stated that fugitives involved in various crimes, including terrorist activities, gangsterism, cyber and economic crimes, who flee the country will not be spared under any circumstances. A more stringent approach will be adopted against them. During the process of issuing Red Corner Notices against such fugitives, their passports will be red flagged, meaning they will be cancelled, preventing them from legally moving from one country to another. He also called for at least one special jail in each state, meeting international standards, to be built to refute fugitives’ claims in foreign courts about the poor quality of facilities in Indian prisons. Home Minister Amit Shah made this statement on Thursday at a two-day conference organized by the CBI on “Extradition of Fugitives – Challenges and Strategies.”

He stated that after 2027, any accused in an FIR will be able to receive justice within three years, from the lower court to the Supreme Court. He also urged police officers from all states present to establish a focus group to coordinate narcotics, terrorism, gangsterism, economic, and cybercrime, which the IB and CBI should work to accelerate through the Multi-Agency Center (MAC). He emphasized that a strict approach should be adopted not only against corruption, crime, and terrorism, but also against gangsters and criminals operating in syndicates outside India. No matter how swift the tactics of crime and criminals, access to justice must be even faster. Referring to the three new criminal laws that will come into effect in July 2024, Shah said that for the first time since independence, a provision has been made to prosecute fugitives even in their absence. Thus, if a fugitive is convicted, his status under international law changes significantly.

The enactment of the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act in 2018 empowered the government to seize the assets of fugitives. Within just four years, we have seized assets worth nearly two billion dollars, and between 2014 and 2023, assets worth approximately $12 billion have been seized. The Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) has also been strengthened. Since the CBI is the designated agency in India for the extradition of fugitives who have fled abroad, each state should establish a special cell unit with the agency’s assistance to create a mechanism for bringing back fugitives who have fled their respective states. The CBI has established a Global Operations Center (GOC) to apprehend fugitives internationally, providing real-time coordination with police forces around the world.

Regarding the online portal “Bharatpol,” established by the CBI for international police cooperation, the Home Minister stated that it has achieved significant results since its inception in January 2025. Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, the Foreign Secretary, CBI Director Praveen Sood, and IB Chiefs, along with police officers from various states, were present on the occasion. A SOP will be developed through discussions during this two-day conference, which will address the challenges of repatriating fugitives, tracking their real-time status, and identifying shortcomings in their failure to be repatriated.

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SPM Modi hails efforts to impart ‘new momentum’ in bilateral ties during meeting with Canadian FM

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New Delhi, Oct 13: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday conveyed to Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand that her India visit would contribute to ongoing efforts to impart new momentum to the India–Canada bilateral partnership.

PM Modi hails ‘new momentum’ in bilateral ties during meeting with Canadian FM

Anand, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada, called on PM Modi on Monday morning before holding discussions with External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar.

Welcoming Anand, Prime Minister Modi recalled his visit to Canada in June this year for the G7 Summit during which he held an “extremely productive” meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney.

“Prime Minister noted the significance of enhanced cooperation between the two countries in trade, energy, technology, agriculture and people-to-people ties. Prime Minister conveyed his warm wishes to Prime Minister Mark Carney and said that he looked forward to their upcoming engagements,” read a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

“I met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi this morning in New Delhi. Building on the momentum of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s meeting with PM Modi this summer at the G7 Summit, Canada and India are elevating the relationship between our countries, while maintaining our law enforcement and security dialogue and expanding our economic relationship,” Anand posted on X after the meeting with PM Modi.

Earlier, EAM Jaishankar said that the ties between India and Canada have been steadily progressing in the past few months, and the two nations are working to restore the mechanisms necessary to advance the partnership.

Welcoming Anand on her first visit to India as Canada’s Foreign Minister, EAM Jaishankar said, “India-Canada bilateral relations have been steadily progressing in the last few months. We are working to restore and reinvigorate the mechanisms necessary to advance our partnership.”

“As Prime Minister Modi noted during his meeting with Prime Minister Carney in Kananaskis, India’s approach is to move forward with a positive mindset. This morning, you met the Prime Minister. You have heard from him personally about our vision of cooperation and how best to realise it,” he added.

He also recalled the “productive” meeting between National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval and Canadian NSA Nathalie G. Drouin, calling it “an important first step towards enhancing our security cooperation.”

“Our foreign ministries at the level of the secretary of the deputy minister also met on September 19 to review the overall relationship. Our trade ministers spoke recently on October 11. So, when we look at Canada, we see a complementary economy, we see another open society, we see diversity and pluralism, and we believe that that is the basis for a close, sustainable and long-term cooperative framework,” EAM Jaishankar added.

He noted that India and Canada have prepared an ambitious roadmap to advance cooperation in various sectors, including science and technology, civil nuclear collaboration, AI, trade and agriculture.

“I’m glad that the two high commissioners have assumed their responsibilities in our respective capitals and are part of today’s meeting. This is our high commissioner with whom you have spoken,” the EAM added.

“Our responsibility as foreign ministers is to shepherd the process of rebuilding our cooperation and to ensure that it delivers on the expectations of our prime ministers and the interests of our people. It means not only taking initiatives in our particular jurisdiction, but also monitoring and integrating interactions across the entire breadth of the government. I look forward to doing so, working closely with you, Minister,” he added.

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I am good at solving wars: Trump says he will resolve Afghanistan-Pakistan conflict

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Washington, Oct 13: US President Donald Trump has expressed his intention to mediate the border conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan, claiming that he can bring an end to the dispute, referring to the other wars that he has “resolved”.

He made these statements as he was heading to Egypt for a summit on the Gaza peace process, which will officially mark the end of the two-year-long conflict in the Middle East, claiming it to be the eighth war he has resolved.

Speaking to reporters, Trump said, “This will be my eighth war that I have solved, and I hear there is a war now going on between Pakistan and Afghanistan.”

“I said, I’ll have to wait till I get back. I am doing another one. Because I am good at solving wars,” he said, adding that conflicts that lasted for decades were solved ‘relatively quickly’ during his tenure as the US President.

“Think about India, Pakistan. Think about some of the wars that were going on for years… We had one going for 31, one going for 32, one going for 37 years, with millions of people being killed in every country, and I got every one of those done, for the most part, within a day. It’s pretty good,” Trump said.

Speaking about the Nobel Peace Prize, which was accorded to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, Trump said, “I did not do this for the Nobel. I did this for saving lives.”

“The person who got the Nobel Prize called me today and said, ‘I am accepting this in honour of you, because you really deserved it’. I’ve been helping her along the way,” he added.

Trump outlined several international disputes that he asserted were resolved during his leadership, including those between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Kosovo and Serbia, Israel and Iran, Egypt and Ethiopia, and Rwanda and the Congo.

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