Pakistan rattled by India’s action on Chenab, Dulhasti Stage-II project approved; Islamabad again invokes Indus Waters Treaty

Islamabad (The Uttam Hindu): After the Government of India approved the 260 MW Dulhasti Stage-II hydroelectric project on the Chenab river in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan has once again reacted sharply. Islamabad has termed the move a violation of the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) and accused India of acting unilaterally. However, diplomatic experts say Pakistan’s objections have lost relevance, as India had already suspended the treaty last year in response to repeated terror attacks and is now prioritising its water security.

Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabbi, while addressing a press conference on Thursday, claimed that India did not give Pakistan any prior information or formal notice about the project. He described the move as a clear breach of international law and bilateral agreements. Andrabbi said Pakistan came to know about the construction of Dulhasti Stage-II on the Chenab only through media reports.

Pakistan maintains that under the treaty, India cannot carry out unilateral construction on the western rivers Indus, Jhelum and Chenab and is required to share technical details of any new project. Following this, the Pakistani Indus Waters Commissioner has sought clarification from his Indian counterpart regarding the nature and technical aspects of the project.

Despite Pakistan repeatedly invoking the treaty, the ground reality is that India is now working under a revised strategy. After the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22, 2025, in which 26 people were killed, India adopted a firm stand and suspended the Indus Waters Treaty. The attack was claimed by The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba. India had made it clear that terrorism and dialogue or treaties cannot continue together. The treaty, brokered by the World Bank in 1960, governed water sharing between the two countries for decades, but India is now moving ahead on its own terms.

Regarding the project, a committee of India’s Environment Ministry had cleared the run-of-the-river Dulhasti Stage-II project in December 2025. The project will be built in Kishtwar district and is an extension of the existing 390 MW Dulhasti Stage-I project. While the committee noted that the project parameters were in line with treaty provisions, the suspension of the treaty has allowed India to fast-track several stalled projects in the Indus basin, including Sawalkot, Ratle, Bursar and Pakal Dul, without considering Pakistan’s objections.