Pakistan Concerned As India Fast-Tracks Chenab Project Amid Indus Treaty Freeze

India has dismissed Pakistan's concerns over the Centre having accelerated work on a major hydroelectric project on the Chenab River in Jammu and Kashmir amid the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) between the two neighbours. Delhi asserted that the Sawalkote project-- India's hydroelectric dam being built on the Chenab River in Jammu and Kashmir-- is being undertaken within the country and is based on its own "understanding", even as Islamabad accused India of violating international treaty obligations, calling it a "dewatering policy" against Islamabad.

When the Indus Water Treaty was in force, Pakistan had rights over the Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab rivers, and India over the Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej. With the treaty now in abeyance, the Centre is pushing ahead with several hydroelectric projects in the Indus basin, such as Sawalkote, Ratle, Bursar, Pakal Dul, Kwar, Kiru, and Kirthai I and II. India last week decided to accelerate the work on the Sawalkote project.

India's Stand

According to the Foreign Ministry, India said any development project undertaken within the country is based on its own "understanding".

"Any development project that happens in India is based on our understanding of what our development requirements are and what the need is that we have to meet the aspirations of people. And that is how we look at this particular project as well," the ministry said on Thursday. 

Pakistan's Stand

The Pakistan foreign office has, meanwhile, raised the issue at the level of the Indus water commissioners and requested consultations and information regarding the Sawalkote dam project. 

Tahir Andrabi, a spokesperson for the Pakistan foreign office, said Pakistan's Indus water commissioner reportedly issued letters in July and as recently as February 11 to their Indian counterpart seeking information and consultations mandated by the IWT.

"Pakistan stresses the IWT remains a binding international instrument consistent with the decisions of the Court of Arbitration of June and August 2025, and we also remain engaged with it. No unilateral actions or defiance can alter this legal reality," he said. 

Islamabad also called upon New Delhi to return to full treaty compliance and fulfil its obligations under the Indus Water Treaty. 

"We are fully committed to the peaceful resolution of disputes and issues with India through dialogue and international legal mechanisms. We wish to reiterate that we will never compromise on our existential water rights of our people," he added. 

About The Sawalkot Dam Project

The Sawalkote hydroelectric project is a massive undertaking by the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) at an estimated cost of Rs 5,129 crore. NHPC is developing the project on the Chenab River in the Udhampur, Reasi, and Ramban districts of Jammu and Kashmir. It is projected to generate "800 megawatts" of electricity, contributing to the country's power generation capacity.

The dam project is part of a wider push by the Bharatiya Janata Party government in the Centre to fast-track multiple hydropower projects on the Chenab river system, including the Pakal Dul, Kiru, and Ratle dams, to bolster India's ability to generate power and manage water flows.