New Delhi: According to reports, the administration formally announced on Friday that the Indus Water Treaty will be put on hold.

The Indian government has determined that “the Indus Waters Treaty 1960 will be held in abeyance with immediate effect,” according to a letter sent yesterday by Jal Shakti Ministry Secretary Debashree Mukherjee to her Pakistani counterpart Syed Ali Murtaza.

“These communications cited fundamental changes in the circumstances that have taken place since the Treaty was executed that require a reassessment of obligations under the various Articles of the Treaty read with its Annexures,” the letter said.

In the midst of continuing developments about the terror incident near Pahalgam town in Jammu and Kashmir, a high-level conference was held at the Ministry of Home Affairs on Thursday.

Following the terror attack, the Central government announced a number of diplomatic actions, including closing the Integrated Check Post (ICP) in Attari, suspending Pakistani nationals’ access to the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES), allowing them to return to their country within 40 hours, and lowering the number of officers in both sides’ High Commissions.

Following the Pahalgam assault, India also terminated the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty. On April 22, terrorists assaulted visitors in Pahalgam’s Baisaran Meadow, killing 25 Indians and one Nepali while injuring a number of others.

With the help of the World Bank, which is also a signatory, India and Pakistan negotiated the Indus Waters Treaty for nine years before signing it in 1960. Former World Bank President Eugene Black started the discussions. For more than 50 years, it has served as a framework for the development of irrigation and hydropower and is regarded as one of the most successful international treaties. It has withstood many conflicts and tensions.

The Treaty gives India control over the eastern rivers (Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej) and Pakistan control over the western rivers (Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab). The Treaty also permits each nation to utilize the rivers that are allotted to it in certain ways. According to the treaty, Pakistan receives 80% of the water from the Indus River System, while India receives 20%.