In a dramatic turn that exposes the hollowness of India’s water aggression narrative, the gates of the Salal Dam on the Chenab River were thrown open this week due to rising water levels, flooding several areas downstream in Himachal Pradesh and Indian-Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJK).
This move not only underscores the Modi government’s inability to manage its own rivers but also dismantles the myth of India’s so-called “abeyance” of the Indus Waters Treaty—an aggressive bluff that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had been using to appease his hardline Hindu nationalist base.
The latest dam release shows that India lacks the infrastructure, coordination, and capacity to control water flows in any meaningful way.
The timing of this development could not be more damning. Just yesterday, the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled\ against India’s unilateral interpretation of the treaty, a legal slap that further weakens New Delhi’s international credibility.
Modi’s obsession with projecting false bravado against Pakistan has now backfired spectacularly. What was intended to be a show of strength has turned into a public policy disaster at home.
Flood-like conditions in parts of Himachal and IIOJK following the uncontrolled water release have sparked criticism about New Delhi’s river mismanagement. Rather than hurting Pakistan, the only people who have suffered from this water stunt are Indian citizens themselves.
This episode lays bare the farcical nature of Modi’s water politics: all noise, no control, and zero concern for the lives at stake.
