New Delhi: In a rare diplomatic gesture amid heightened tensions, India has shared details of the flood situation in Jammu and Kashmir with Pakistan, citing humanitarian concerns, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
The communication was made on Sunday by the Indian High Commission in Islamabad to Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, marking the first time such information has been relayed through the High Commission rather than through the traditional Indus Water Commissioners of the two countries.
“The communication has been made entirely on humanitarian grounds,” said the MEA in an official statement.
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This unusual channel of communication was chosen as the Indus Water Treaty remains in abeyance, following the Pahalgam terror attack on 22 April, which left 26 people dead. In response to the attack, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had declared, “Blood and water cannot flow together.”
In the aftermath, India launched precision strikes on 7 May targeting terror training camps in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and within Pakistan.
According to reports, Pakistan issued flood warnings based on the data provided by India, underscoring the seriousness of the situation. While such exchanges are typically facilitated under the Indus Waters Treaty, the current diplomatic freeze has led to alternative arrangements.
Modi Criticises Nehru Over Water Treaty
Last week, during a meeting of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Parliamentary Party in New Delhi, Prime Minister Modi strongly criticised former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru over the Indus Water Treaty, calling it a “lopsided agreement”.
“It was a lopsided agreement signed without parliamentary approval,” Modi said, accusing Nehru of compromising India’s interests and benefiting Pakistan by conceding India’s rightful share of water.
The Prime Minister’s remarks have reignited debate over the 1960 treaty, which allocates river water usage between India and Pakistan and has long been a point of contention in bilateral relations.
This latest move to share flood-related information, though purely humanitarian, comes at a time of strained ties and serves as a reminder of the region’s shared vulnerabilities, even amid deep political divisions.
