- PPP leader says India’s approval of the Dulhasti Stage-II hydropower project on Chenab River amounts to violation of IWT
ISLAMABAD: Senator Sherry Rehman on Monday said that the weaponisation of water was “neither sane nor acceptable” after reports emerged that India had approved a new hydropower project on the Chenab River.
In a statement posted on social media platform X, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader said India’s approval of the Dulhasti Stage-II hydropower project on the Chenab River amounted to a violation of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT).
In flagrant violation of the #IndusWatersTreaty (IWT), India has just given approval to the Dulhasti Stage-II hydropower project on Chenab River in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJ&K). As per the IWT, which cannot be unilaterally revoked, as recent UN… pic.twitter.com/PK1wDw8g2g
— SenatorSherryRehman (@sherryrehman) December 29, 2025
She said the project had been approved in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir and accused New Delhi of acting in disregard of the treaty’s provisions. Rehman said the IWT could not be unilaterally revoked, citing confirmations by United Nations rapporteurs.
Under the Indus Waters Treaty, Pakistan has rights over the waters of the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab rivers, while India controls the Ravi, Beas and Sutlej rivers. Rehman said that despite this framework, India had moved to fast-track multiple hydropower projects in the Indus Basin after placing the treaty in abeyance.
She said these projects included Sawalkot, Ratle, Bursar, Pakal Dul, Kwar, Kiru and Kirthai-I and II, adding that Dulhasti Stage-II formed part of the same approach.
Rehman warned that the use of water as a political or strategic tool would escalate tensions between the two countries. She said such actions were especially concerning in a region already facing climate stress and environmental pressures.
“This weaponisation of water is neither sane nor acceptable,” she said, adding that it could further strain relations marked by hostility and mistrust.
Indian media reports said a panel of India’s environment ministry had approved the Dulhasti Stage-II hydropower project in the Kishtwar district of occupied Kashmir. According to the Times of India, the project will have a capacity of 260 megawatts and was approved around two months after clearance was granted for the 1,856-megawatt Sawalkot hydroelectric project on the same river.
The report said both projects were aimed at harnessing the hydropower potential of the Chenab River.
A similar report published by The Hindu said that with the Indus Waters Treaty currently in abeyance, India was moving ahead with several hydropower projects in the Indus Basin. It listed Sawalkot, Ratle, Bursar, Pakal Dul, Kwar, Kiru and Kirthai-I and II among the projects being pursued.
The latest development follows concerns raised by United Nations experts over India’s recent actions related to Pakistan. In a correspondence dated October 16 and made public on December 15, UN special rapporteurs said India’s use of force on Pakistan’s territory in response to the April 22 Pahalgam attack in occupied Kashmir appeared to have violated the rights to life and security of persons.
The experts also observed that India’s actions could disrupt the flow of water to Pakistan under the Indus Waters Treaty.
India had placed the treaty in abeyance in April following an attack on tourists in Pahalgam, which killed 26 people. New Delhi blamed Islamabad for the incident without presenting evidence. Pakistan rejected the allegations and said any attempt to suspend its share of water under the treaty would be considered an act of war.
Islamabad has maintained that the Indus Waters Treaty does not allow for unilateral suspension by either party.
In June, the Permanent Court of Arbitration issued a Supplemental Award of Competence, stating that India could not unilaterally hold the treaty in abeyance. The ruling reaffirmed that disputes under the treaty must follow established legal and arbitration mechanisms.
Earlier this month, Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi said Pakistan had written to India seeking clarification over abrupt variations in the flow of the Chenab River. He said the changes had affected irrigation supplies, with wheat and other crops impacted through the Marala-Ravi Link Canal and other canals in parts of Punjab.
Pakistan has repeatedly raised concerns that upstream projects and flow variations could affect agriculture, water availability and livelihoods downstream, while stressing the need for adherence to the Indus Waters Treaty framework.
