Senior PPP leader Senator Sherry Rehman strongly reacted to Indian media reports claiming New Delhi had cleared the Dulhasti Stage-II hydropower project on the Chenab River in occupied Kashmir.
In a post on X, she said, “In flagrant violation of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), India has just given approval to the Dulhasti Stage-II hydropower project on the Chenab River in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJ&K).”
She reminded that under the IWT, which cannot be cancelled by one side, Pakistan controls the waters of the Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab rivers, while India controls the Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej.
Senator Rehman said India had fast-tracked disputed hydropower projects after illegally placing the treaty in abeyance. These include Sawalkot, Ratle, Bursar, Pakal Dul, Kwar, Kiru, and Kirthai-1 and 2, with Dulhasti Stage-II seen as part of the same plan.
She warned, “This weaponisation of water is neither sane nor acceptable in a region on the frontlines of climate change and environmental stress. It will inflame tensions in a bilateral relationship already bristling with hostility and distrust.”
According to the Times of India, the Indian environment ministry approved the 260MW Dulhasti Stage-II project in the Kishtwar district of occupied Kashmir. The report noted it followed approval of the 1,856MW Sawalkot project on the same river to “harness the potential of the Chenab”.
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The Hindu also reported that with the IWT in abeyance, India is pushing ahead with multiple hydropower projects across the Indus basin.
This comes after UN experts raised concern over India’s “unlawful use of force” against Pakistan following the April 22 Pahalgam attack, warning it may violate rights to life and security.
India had blamed Pakistan for the Pahalgam incident without evidence and moved to suspend the treaty. Pakistan termed any attempt to block its water share an act of war.
In June, the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled that India cannot unilaterally suspend the treaty.
UN experts also warned that India’s actions “may be taken to disrupt the flow of water to Pakistan”.
Earlier this month, Pakistan’s Foreign Office said it had written to India seeking clarification over sudden changes in Chenab River flows, which badly affected wheat and other crops in Punjab.
Water is becoming a new pressure tool in South Asia. Pakistan sees India’s moves as political, not technical. Any disruption in river flow can damage crops and stability. The issue may further strain already fragile relations.
