Pakistan's economy will have to pay for every attack: Modi

NEW DELHI, May 22: Pakistan will not get water from rivers over which India has rights, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday.

The suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, negotiated by the World Bank in 1960, was among a slew of measures announced by India against Pakistan last month after falsely accusing Pakistan of April 22 attack in Pahalgam.

New Delhi had claimed the attack was backed by Pakistan – an accusation Islamabad denied – and the nuclear-armed neighbours were involved in their worst military fighting in nearly three decades before agreeing to a ceasefire on May 10.

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“Pakistan will have to pay a heavy price for every terrorist attack …, Pakistan’s army will pay, Pakistan’s economy will pay it,” Modi said at a public event in the northwestern state of Rajasthan.

The Indus treaty provides water for 80% of Pakistan’s farms from three rivers that flow from India but Pakistan’s finance minister said this month that its suspension was not going to have “any immediate impact”.

The ceasefire between the countries has largely held, with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar saying that there is no exchange of fire currently and “there has been some repositioning of forces accordingly”.

“The (military) operation continues because there is a clear message…that if there are acts of the kind we saw on April 22, there will be a response, we will hit the terrorists,” Jaishankar told Dutch news outlet NOS.

“If the terrorists are in Pakistan, we will hit them where they are,” he added.

There was no immediate response from Pakistan to comments by Modi and Jaishankar.

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Pakistan has reacted with alarm and strong condemnation to India’s threat to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), viewing it as a grave violation of international law and a direct threat to its water security and sovereignty. The Foreign Ministry has labeled any attempt to stop, reduce, or divert Pakistan’s allocated water under the IWT as an “act of war,” promising “firm reciprocal measures in all domains.” High-ranking officials, including Deputy PM Ishaq Dar, have rejected India’s announcement as “cowardly” and “inappropriate,” emphasizing the treaty’s binding nature under the oversight of the World Bank. Pakistan has also vowed to pursue legal action to challenge the suspension, underscoring its commitment to upholding the IWT’s provisions.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has warned that any violation of the treaty would prompt Pakistan to respond with “full force and might.” Similarly, former Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has used stark language, stating, “Either water will flow or their blood will,” signaling the potential for severe retaliation if India proceeds. These statements highlight Pakistan’s view of the IWT as critical to its survival, given the country’s heavy reliance on the Indus River system for agriculture, drinking water, and industrial needs.