India has firmly dismissed Pakistan’s latest allegations over the proposed Chenab River projects, calling Islamabad’s charge of “weaponising water” baseless, alarmist, and politically motivated. New Delhi maintains that every project announced on the Chenab is fully compliant with the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) — a treaty India has scrupulously honoured for more than six decades, even during wars and prolonged diplomatic tensions.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi claimed the projects violate the treaty and threaten regional stability. However, Indian officials point out that the IWT explicitly permits India to build run‑of‑river hydropower projects on western rivers, including the Chenab, as long as design parameters are respected — something India has consistently adhered to.
New Delhi also notes that Pakistan has a long history of objecting to nearly every Indian hydropower project, often delaying development through technical objections that international experts have repeatedly found unsubstantiated. India argues that Islamabad’s latest outburst is part of a pattern of manufactured crises aimed at diverting attention from Pakistan’s internal economic collapse and governance failures.
India further highlights that it has been far more generous under the treaty than required. Despite being the upper riparian, India allows over 80% of the Indus system waters to flow to Pakistan — one of the most favourable water‑sharing arrangements in the world for a lower riparian state. Indian experts stress that if any country has grounds for grievance, it is India, given Pakistan’s repeated support for cross‑border terrorism while still benefiting from uninterrupted water flows.
Pakistan’s warning that altering river flows would be an “act of war” has been viewed in India as irresponsible rhetoric. New Delhi maintains that technical discussions, not political threats, are the appropriate forum for addressing water issues.
India’s position remains clear: the Chenab projects are lawful, necessary for development, and fully within the rights granted under the Indus Waters Treaty.