India to stop share of its water flowing into Pakistan: Minister

India will stop its share of un-utilised waters of three rivers that flow into Pakistan, the country’s Water Resources Minister Nitin Gadkari said today.

Instead, the water will be diverted to the people in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab states, he also said.

The decision came in the wake of the Pulwama attack by terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed that killed 40 paramilitary personnel for which India has blamed Pakistan.

“Under the leadership of Hon’ble PM Sri Narendra Modi ji, our government 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 said in a tweet.

The rivers that flow into Pakistan from India are Ravi, Beas and Sutlej, three tributaries of the Indus, an official said.

Under the World Bank-brokered Indus Waters Treaty between India and Pakistan, the waters flowing in the three Indus tributaries have been allotted to India while the waters of the Chenab, Jhelum and Indus to Pakistan.

Of the total 168 million acre-feet, India’s share of water from the three allotted rivers is 33 million acre-feet. India uses nearly 93-94 per cent of its share under the Indus Waters Treaty and rest of the water remains un-utilised and flows into Pakistan. It is this water that India has decided to stop.

India earlier announced withdrawal of Most Favoured Nation status to Pakistan in trade and hiked duty on imports from that country to 200 per cent in the wake of the Pulwama incident.