ISLAMABAD: Senator Sherry Rehman on Monday strongly criticised India’s approval of a new hydel power project on the Chenab River, warning that the “weaponisation of water is neither sane nor acceptable” and poses serious risks to regional stability.
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Reacting to Indian media reports, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader said New Delhi’s decision to approve the Dulhasti Stage-II hydropower project in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir amounted to a “flagrant violation” of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT).
In a post on social media platform X, Senator Rehman stressed that the IWT could not be unilaterally suspended or revoked. She noted that, under the treaty, Pakistan has rights over the waters of the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab rivers, while India controls the Ravi, Beas and Sutlej.
In flagrant violation of the #IndusWatersTreaty (IWT), India has just given approval to the Dulhasti Stage-II hydropower project on Chenab River in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJ&K). As per the IWT, which cannot be unilaterally revoked, as recent UN… pic.twitter.com/PK1wDw8g2g
— SenatorSherryRehman (@sherryrehman) December 29, 2025
She said that following what Pakistan has termed India’s illegal move to hold the treaty in abeyance, New Delhi appeared to be fast-tracking several disputed hydroelectric projects in the Indus Basin. These include Sawalkot, Ratle, Bursar, Pakal Dul, Kwar, Kiru, and Kirthai-I and II, with Dulhasti Stage-II seen as part of this broader strategy.
“This weaponisation of water is neither sane nor acceptable in a region already on the frontlines of climate change and environmental stress,” Senator Rehman said. She warned that such actions would further inflame tensions in an already strained bilateral relationship marked by deep mistrust.
According to Indian media reports, the 260-megawatt Dulhasti Stage-II project was approved by a panel of India’s environment ministry, just weeks after clearance was given to the much larger Sawalkot hydropower project on the same river.
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The development comes amid heightened scrutiny of India’s actions following its decision earlier this year to suspend the IWT after the Pahalgam attack in occupied Kashmir, an allegation Pakistan has rejected. Islamabad has repeatedly warned that any attempt to disrupt its water share under the treaty would be considered a grave violation of international law.