After Indus Treaty abeyance, India’s major move on Chenab River triggers panic in Pakistan
New Delhi: India has granted environmental clearance for a major new hydropower project on the Chenab River, a move that has intensified diplomatic friction with neighbouring Pakistan following the recent suspension of the decades-old Indus Waters Treaty.
The 260-megawatt Dulhasti Stage II project, located in the Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir, received the green light from federal authorities this week. The approval comes just months after India cleared the Sawalkot project further downstream, signalling a rapid acceleration of energy infrastructure development in the volatile Himalayan region.
The decision has triggered an immediate backlash from Islamabad. According to TOI reports, Pakistan’s Foreign Office issued a statement accusing New Delhi of violating long-standing water-sharing protocols, claiming it was not formally notified of the project’s technical specifications.
"This unilateral move undermines the spirit of regional cooperation and threatens the water security of lower riparian areas," a Pakistani official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
India, however, maintains that the project is well within its legal rights. New Delhi argues that the Dulhasti Stage II is a "run-of-the-river" facility designed to harness the hydroelectric potential of Jammu and Kashmir, which it says has been underutilised for decades.
The timing of the clearance is seen by regional analysts as a calculated strategic signal. It follows "Operation Sindoor," a series of policy shifts by the Indian government aimed at asserting greater control over the western rivers, the Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab, which were primarily allocated to Pakistan under the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty.
Relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbours have remained strained since India moved to modify the treaty last year, citing "continued intransigence" from Pakistan over dispute resolution.
Security experts say the Chenab River has now become central to India’s "deterrence calculus." By fast-tracking these projects, New Delhi is demonstrating that it will no longer prioritise the treaty's historical status quo over its own domestic energy and strategic needs.