Ceasefire with Pakistan conditional? Reports say no change in India’s stand on Indus Water Treaty

Even as both India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire on Saturday after days of military escalation, New Delhi has reportedly maintained that the truce was “conditional” and there was no change in its stand on the Indus Water Treaty.

 

India suspended the decades-old treaty, that allows Pakistan to use around 80% of the water from the Indus river system, a day after the terrorist strike in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, in which 26 civilians, mostly tourists, were killed.

 

Soon after the ceasefire deal was announced by the Ministry of External Affairs, NDTV quoted a source as saying that  there is no change in India's position on the diplomatic measures against Pakistan, including the suspension of the water treaty.

 

Following the Pahalgam attack, India had also taken a slew of punitive measures against Pakistan including suspension of bilateral trade and downgrading of diplomatic ties. New Delhi also closed the land border crossing at Attari and suspended the short-term visas issued to Pakistani nationals.

 

India launched a military operation against the terrorist groups in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in the wee hours of Wednesday, triggering a military escalation between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.

 

Tensions mounted in the border areas after Pakistan fired hundreds of drones at the Indian side in the nights of May 7 and May 8. Indian Army claimed to have neutralised every threat from the Pakistani side and responded effectively.

 

India