Tensions Escalate Over Water Sharing as India Opens Baglihar Dam Gates Amid Indo-Pak Hostilities
According to Indian military sources, ‘Operation Sindoor’ successfully targeted and demolished Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed training camps and offices in PoK, eliminating nearly 100 militants. This unprecedented offensive has intensified the geopolitical friction between the two countries, with war clouds looming large.
In the aftermath of the operation, focus has shifted to the decades-old Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), signed in 1960. India’s recent actions involving the Salal and Baglihar dams on the Chenab River—where the flow of water into Pakistan was halted—have reignited fears in Islamabad. The drying up of rivers on the Pakistani side has triggered serious concerns over India allegedly weaponizing water.
More recently, India lifted the gates of the Baglihar Dam following a surge in water levels caused by heavy rainfall in Jammu and Kashmir. This resulted in sudden flooding across the Chenab River, sending water surging into Pakistan. Several downstream areas including Muzaffarabad and Sialkot are reportedly at risk of flooding, prompting emergency alerts from Pakistan’s disaster management authorities.
Although Indian officials clarified that the release of water was a precautionary step to manage dam safety amid rising levels, Pakistan has accused India of deliberate aggression. Islamabad claims that using water as a political and strategic weapon violates international norms and is tantamount to an act of war.
The development has intensified scrutiny on the future of the Indus Waters Treaty, with experts warning that hydropolitics could become a critical component of Indo-Pak relations if diplomatic efforts fail to de-escalate tensions.
#BagliharDam #IndusWatersTreaty #IndiaPakistanTensions #OperationSindoor #ChenabRiver #FloodThreat #WaterWars #PahalgamAttack #PoKStrikes #Geopolitics #HydroPolitics
