India says will “never” reinstate Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan

India announced Saturday that it will “never” reinstate the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan, a landmark agreement signed in 1960 to manage shared river resources.

India suspended its participation in the treaty in April following a deadly attack in a tourist town in Indian-administered Kashmir that left 26 people dead. New Delhi blamed the assault on an extremist group allegedly backed by Islamabad, a charge Pakistan has denied.

The incident triggered a series of escalating attacks and retaliatory strikes between the two nuclear-armed neighbors. Though a ceasefire remains technically in place, tensions persist.

In an interview published by The Times of India on Saturday, Indian Home Minister Amit Shah declared that the treaty will not be revived, saying: “It will never be restored.”

Shah added that India plans to divert the waters flowing to Pakistan through the construction of a canal into the Indian state of Rajasthan.

“Pakistan will be deprived of the water it has been unfairly benefiting from,” he said.

The Indus Waters Treaty had allocated three Himalayan rivers to each country, granting usage rights for irrigation and hydroelectric power, with a joint India-Pakistan commission tasked with resolving disputes.

In May, Islamabad insisted the treaty was untouchable, after New Delhi signaled its continued suspension despite a recently agreed ceasefire.

“Neither party can unilaterally alter or terminate the treaty without mutual consent,” Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said at the time.

The ongoing dispute has reignited long-standing tensions between the South Asian rivals. More than 70 people were killed in May during four days of clashes involving missiles, drones, and artillery; the most intense military confrontation between the two countries since the Kargil War in 1999.