India has dismissed Pakistan’s claims that it is deliberately causing flooding in Pakistan, which has resulted in at least 37 deaths. The Indian government has described these allegations as ‘baseless’ and attributed the recent increase in flows in the Chenab river to ‘intense monsoon rainfall over Jammu and adjoining catchment areas’ in the last four days.
The floods have triggered flash floods and landslides, damaging houses, crops, livestock, and roads in various parts of Pakistan, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, Jammu and Kashmir, and Punjab. According to Pakistan’s leading daily, Dawn, the ongoing monsoon spell has caused widespread destruction in these areas.
The Ministry of External Affairs’ official spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, responded to Pakistan’s claims on flooding, stating that the recent increase in flows in the River Chenab is a direct consequence of intense monsoon rainfall over Jammu and adjoining catchment areas. He cited Pakistan’s own data to counter the claims, pointing out that Pakistan’s Flood Forecasting Division, Lahore, had attributed the high flood levels in the River Chenab to heavy rainfall over the upper catchment.
Jaiswal emphasized that the rise in river flows is a natural hydrological response to heavy monsoon rainfall and not the result of any deliberate action by India. He also countered Pakistan’s claims that India had not provided prior information on upstream river flows, stating that the river flows during this period did not reach extraordinary discharge levels requiring the issuance of special flood warnings.
The MEA spokesperson added that India will share high-flood data with Pakistan on humanitarian grounds, through diplomatic channels as and when a situation arises. He also reiterated India’s position on the Indus Waters Treaty, stating that it will continue to be held in abeyance until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism.
India had kept the Indus Waters Treaty ‘in abeyance’ since April last year, after the Pahalgam terrorist attack. The treaty has been a point of contention between the two countries, with India accusing Pakistan of supporting cross-border terrorism.
