Indian minister announces to 'stop Pakistan's water'; gets schooled

India’s minister for transport and water resources Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said that his country would stop the flow of fresh water from eastern rivers to Pakistan which is guaranteed under the Indus Water Treaty, ARY News reported. 

Gadkari went on to claim that the government had started the construction of Shahpur Kandi Dam on Ravi, which would be used to divert the river’s water to Jammu and Kashmir.

Members of the Indian government have been calling for ‘water war’ against Pakistan by blocking the flow of eastern rivers after India failed to substantiate its allegations against Pakistan following Pulwama attack.

Under the leadership of Hon'ble PM Sri @narendramodi ji, Our Govt. has decided to stop our share of water which used to flow to Pakistan. We will divert water from Eastern rivers and supply it to our people in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab.

— Nitin Gadkari (@nitin_gadkari) February 21, 2019

“We will stop the flow of three rivers that provide water to Pakistan; we will use that water in Kashmir and Punjab for our people”, he was quoted as saying.

Pakistani authorities, on the other hand, dismissed the Indian claims that it could stop Pakistan’s water, saying that the neighbouring country lacked the capability to deprive Pakistan of its share of water.

Read More: Kashmir woes: Will abrogation of Indus Water Treaty serve India?

Deputy Indus Commissioner Sheeraz Memon said that it was not possible for India to stop Pakistan’s water.

“Modi had asked for a briefing on this soon after swearing in as the prime minister, but he was told it was not feasible”, said Memon.

This is not the first time India has faced a fact-check. Following 2016’s Uri attack, India tried hard to walk-out from the Indus Water Treaty so that it could block Pakistan’s water, however, many of its own intelligentsia rubbished Modi-led government’s claims.