India stops its share of water from flowing into Pakistan

Indian Union Minister of State for Water Resources Arjun Mehghwal on Sunday said India has stopped water of three eastern rivers from flowing into Pakistan.

Speaking to the media, Meghwal said that 0.53 million acre-feet of water from eastern rivers, which was flowing into Pakistan, has been stopped. This water has been stored and could be used for drinking and irrigation purposes, the Indian minister of state for water resources said. 

The move does not violate the Indus Water Treaty of 1960, Indian media reported.

The treaty signed in 1960, gives India control over the three eastern rivers (Ravi, Beas and Sutlej) of the Indus basin while it gives Pakistan authority over the three western rivers (Indus, Jhelum and Chenab). The treaty also guaranteed ten years of uninterrupted water supply, during this period Pakistan was to build damns. Pakistan successfully built Warsak, Mangla and Tarbela dams.

Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated in the aftermath of the February 14 Pulwama attack in which over 40 Indian paramilitary soldiers were killed. India blamed Pakistan for the attack without any evidence and violated Pakistan's airspace a few days later.