New Delhi/Islamabad: India has reportedly alerted Pakistan about a potential flood threat in the Tawi River in Jammu, marking a rare instance of communication between the two neighbours since ties plunged following the Pahalgam terror attack earlier this year.
According to Pakistan’s daily The News, the Indian High Commission in Islamabad conveyed the flood warning to Pakistani authorities on Sunday. The alert came even as the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty — the framework that regulates the use of shared rivers — remains suspended by India in the aftermath of the April 22 terror strike.
Pakistani authorities have since issued local warnings based on the Indian input, though neither government has officially confirmed the exchange. Normally, such information is routed through the Indus Water Commissioners of both countries.
If verified, this would be the first significant contact between the two sides since May, when India announced punitive measures against Pakistan, including putting the World Bank–brokered Indus treaty “in abeyance.”
The development comes as Pakistan grapples with a punishing monsoon. The country’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has forecast heavy rains through August 30, warning of possible flash floods across multiple provinces. Earlier monsoon spells between June 26 and August 20 claimed at least 788 lives and left more than 1,000 injured.
The Tawi River, a tributary of the Chenab, originates in Jammu and Kashmir before flowing into Pakistan. Past flooding of the river has caused extensive damage on both sides of the border, making advance warnings crucial for disaster preparedness.
Strategic observers say that while the alert signals a limited form of cooperation in crisis situations, it is unlikely to alter the broader freeze in bilateral ties. New Delhi has maintained a hardened stance since the Pahalgam attack, while Islamabad has accused India of politicising water-sharing arrangements.
With tensions still high, the exchange underscores the uneasy balance between hostility and necessity in India–Pakistan relations.
