'Pakistan will be starved of water': India says will never restore Indus water treaty with Islamabad

Indian Home Minister Amit Shah has said that India will never restore the Indus Waters Treaty with Islamabad, and the water flowing to Pakistan will be diverted for domestic use.

Following an attack that resulted in the deaths of 26 civilians in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), India suspended its involvement in the 1960 agreement that regulates the use of the Indus river system.

The treaty had previously ensured water access to nearly 80% of Pakistan's agricultural lands via three rivers originating in India.

While Pakistan has denied any role in the incident, the treaty remains inactive, even after the two nuclear-armed countries recently agreed to a ceasefire following their most intense clashes in years.

“No, it will never be restored,” Shah stated in an interview with The Times of India on Saturday.

“We will take water that was flowing to Pakistan to Rajasthan by constructing a canal. Pakistan will be starved of water that it has been getting unjustifiably,” he added, referring to India’s northwestern state.

Shah's remarks, made by one of the most influential figures in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's cabinet, have significantly dampened Islamabad’s hopes for any near-term revival of talks regarding the treaty.