China Accelerates Dam Construction Amid India’s Threat to IWT

News Desk

Islamabad: China has stepped up construction on the Mohmand Dam project in Pakistan following India’s recent threat to suspend the decades-old Indus Waters Treaty and cut off water supplies to Pakistan.

According to China’s state broadcaster CCTV, concrete filling has officially begun at the Mohmand Dam site, marking a crucial phase of accelerated development for this major infrastructure project.

The dam, located in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, has been under construction since September 2019 and is jointly regarded as a “national flagship project” by both Pakistan and China.

Originally slated for completion in 2026, the project timeline has been expedited in response to the escalating tensions between the two neighbors.

India’s announcement to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty came in the wake of a deadly attack in Indian-administered Kashmir on April 22, which New Delhi blamed on Pakistan-based militants—an allegation Islamabad denies. On April 23, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs declared the suspension following a high-level meeting led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Indus Waters Treaty, brokered by the World Bank in 1960, regulates the sharing of the Indus River system between India and Pakistan.

It has historically endured several wars and periods of tension. India’s move to suspend the treaty signals a serious deterioration in bilateral relations and poses a significant threat to Pakistan’s water security, given that nearly 80% of Pakistan’s agricultural needs depend on the Indus and its tributaries