IWT to remain suspended until Pakistan abjures support for cross-border terror: Jal Shakti ministry

New Delhi: The Indus Waters Treaty will remain suspended "until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism", the Union Jal Shakti ministry has conveyed to the cabinet secretary. In its monthly report to Cabinet Secretary TV Somanathan on Tuesday, Debashree Mukherjee -- secretary in the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation under the ministry -- said the government announced that the treaty would be held in "abeyance" with immediate effect in the aftermath of the "Pakistan-sponsored" terror attack on civilians in Pahalgam. "The key water-sharing treaty will remain suspended until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism," Mukherjee said in her report.

Brokered by the World Bank in 1960, the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) governed the distribution and use of the Indus river and its tributaries between India and Pakistan. According to sources, Pakistan's Water Resources Secretary Syed Ali Murtaza had expressed his government's readiness to discuss specific objections raised by New Delhi. However, the Indian government remains firm on its decision to hold the accord in abeyance. The river system comprises the Indus -- the main river -- and its tributaries. The Ravi, Beas and the Sutlej are collectively referred to as the eastern rivers while the Indus, Jhelum and the Chenab are known as the western rivers. Water from this river system is crucial for both India and Pakistan.