India's "Not a Single Drop" Policy on Indus Water

Introduction

The Indus River Treaty came into being in the year 1960, helping India and Pakistan to divide the river water equitably between them. At that time, Pakistan was a normal country that happily coexisted with its big brother India. Brokered by the World Bank, the landmark water-sharing agreement was signed in Karachi, Pakistan. India has blocked the treaty after the terror attack in Pahalgam in April 2025. India is planning to build a dam across the river to completely deprive Pakistan of water. The "Not a Single Drop" policy as a weapon is going to affect Pakistan’s economy, as it is primarily an agrarian country.

Treaty Details

The World Bank-brokered treaty divides the tributaries of the Indus River based on the location that is nearer to them. Based on these criteria, the Indus water was divided into west and east rivers that emanate from their parent river.

1. Eastern Rivers: These rivers are controlled by India. They are Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej. India used water from these three rivers for agricultural purposes. 
2. Western Rivers: On the other hand, Pakistan received water from rivers such as Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab. The water from these rivers is primarily reserved for Pakistan to support agriculture. However, India is permitted to use the water from these rivers for non-consumptive use such as power generation and irrigation.

Current Status

Currently, the Indus Water Treaty is held in abeyance after Pakistan was found to be involved in the Pahalgam terror attack. India held the position that water and blood cannot go hand-in-hand. India has categorically told Pakistan that the water treaty in its present form will not be restored until Pakistan permanently and credibly stops supporting the terrorist groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba across the international border. As a part of the "Not a Single Drop" policy, India is planning to construct a dam across the rivers to completely block the flow of water to Pakistan. India has adopted an intelligence blackout regarding hydrological data.

Key Development

After India held the treaty in abeyance, Pakistan approached the International Court of Arbitration, accusing India of having unilaterally suspended the treaty and imposed an information blackout. The international body passed the ruling in favor of Pakistan, asking India to fully restore the treaty and share hydrological data. However, India has rejected the order, saying that Pakistan should credibly stop terrorism across the border.

1. Pakistan's Stand: Pakistan held the stance that India is violating the international convention on water sharing and tried to put forward its stand in different international forums to garner their support to persuade India to restore the treaty and revoke the "Not a Single Drop" policy. It even went to the International Court of Arbitration with a complaint against India, seeking their help to fully restore the treaty. Pakistan approached other countries, accusing India of depriving its citizens, especially its farmers, of their livelihood. It also said that water arriving in its soil has been critically reduced, making it difficult to generate power through its hydroelectric project and provide drinking water to city dwellers of Karachi and Rawalpindi.
2. Indian Stand: After the Pahalgam attack in April 2025, India was forced to take a tough stand that the treaty should be held in abeyance to teach Pakistan a lesson for its misdeed. India told Pakistan in clear terms that it should take credible steps to completely eradicate terrorism coming from its soil to restore the treaty and revoke the "Not a Single Drop" policy. India outrightly rejected the order by the International Court of Arbitration in favor of Pakistan, stating that it was providing a safe haven to terro­­­­­­rist groups that attacked innocent citizens. Supporting its stand of information blackout and abeyance of treaty, India has provided a lot of evidence to the international forums that tells how its military is supporting these terror groups with training, funds, and materials.