April 24, 2025 – New Delhi: India has notified Pakistan that the Indus Water Treatment (IWT) has been put on hold; thus, finally, the 64-year-old water-sharing treaty has ended. Several wars, unsolved political affairs, and relations troubled with difficulty between the two countries for years did not affect the existence of this agreement.

Indus River Treatment Between India And Pakistan

The order to suspend the agreement was considered as a result of the deadly terror assault that took place on the 22nd of April in Paagam, a spot of many tourists in India. It resulted in 26 deaths, including the foreign citizen. The officials found that some people on the other side of the border might be involved in the whichtack and caused the matter to be considered a high-security threat.

India’s Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), the top group responsible for decisions related to national security, permitted the proposal. The government explained to the sources that if there is direct evidence of cross-border violence, it is not justified to continue with the settlement.

The Treaty was signed in 1960 and was funded by the World Bank. It had been agreed that both India and Pakistan could use the water resources of the Indus River and the rivers it was made of. The agreement was held as a rare evidence of the willingness to cooperate, even though at that time, the political and military disputes were numerous.

The pause is a big shift in India’s policy, and it also means that if the country faces more security challenges, it may no longer sign such agreements. It could be a trigger for the situation between the two.

As per the experts, the matter could escalate the situation if this one act of a party involved in the water issue is major and delicate. We’re still to learn the results, but one thing is clear: the recent violence in the region has made the India-Pakistan rift so wide that the only way left is to cancel the treaty.