Pakistan assails at least 17 water projects of India that give it 'tools for hydro-hegemony'

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar warned on Thursday of “at least 17” projects by India designed to drastically alter the Indus river system and lend it “tools for hydro-hegemony”.

The deputy prime minister, in a recorded keynote address at a seminar on trans-boundary water resources, said that responsible states act “within established legal frameworks” rather than abandoning them — referring to the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) between Pakistan and India that has been unilaterally suspended by India since May of last year.

“The treaty envisages the peaceful resolution of disputes within its own framework,” he said, also noting that Pakistan had previously voiced concerns over “certain actions by India” under the treaty.

“It is important to underscore that our concerns are not merely based on Indian statements,” the deputy prime minister stressed, stating that India had “followed up its belligerent statements with illegal actions”.

These included projects to create reservoirs, expansion of existing structures and, “most alarmingly”, diversion projects on the Indus, Chenab and Ravi rivers.

“In total, at least 17 such projects that will drastically alter the river system as a whole, giving India the tools for hydro-hegemony that it so desires,” he said.

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