India threatens to stop water flow to Pakistan

NEW DELHI: India’s Minister for Water Resources and River Development Nitin Gadkari on Thursday threatened to stop the flow of water from its eastern rivers to Pakistan and divert it to the IHK Indian Punjab instead.

The threat is the latest in anti-Pakistan rhetoric coming from across the border since last week’s attack in Pulwama district of Indian Held Kashmir. In the latest threat on Thursday, Indian Minister Nitin Gadkari said Narendra Modi-led government had decided to stop river water that flows to Pakistan. "We will divert water from the eastern rivers and supply it to our people in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab," he said in tweets sent out to his 4.42 million followers. "The construction of dam has started at Shahpur-Kandi on the Ravi River. Moreover, the UJH project will store our share of water for use in J&K and the balance water will flow from 2nd Ravi-BEAS Link to provide water to other basin states," he said.

The Indian media reported Gadkari as making similar comments at a public event a day earlier. "The water from our three rivers is going to Pakistan. Now, we are planning to build a project and divert it from these three rivers into Yamuna river. Once this happens, Yamuna will have more water," news agency ANI quoted the Indian minister as saying on Wednesday.