India has informed the United Nations that it is suspending the 65-year-old Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan, with its permanent envoy Parvathaneni Harish stating the agreement will remain "in abeyance" until Pakistan "unconditionally abjures terrorism as an instrument of its state policy." Harish accused Pakistan of violating the treaty's spirit through "three wars and thousands of terror attacks," adding that India's "patience" has not changed Islamabad's approach.
Pakistan's Second Secretary Aleena Majeed rejected the terrorism allegations as "baseless" and condemned India's move as "the weaponization of water for narrow political gains," warning it jeopardizes the livelihoods of millions. The suspension was announced after a 2025 attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 civilians, which New Delhi blamed on Pakistan—a claim Islamabad denies. The Indus River, South Asia's longest, flows through Tibet, divided Kashmir, and Pakistan.
Concurrently, India faces a worsening shortage of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), critical for households and businesses. Foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India is attempting to import LPG from all available sources, including Russia, amid escalating Middle East tensions. The shortage intensified after Iranian missiles damaged Qatar's Ras Laffan gas field, a key global LPG exporter, on Thursday morning.
India, the world's second-largest LPG importer, relies heavily on Middle Eastern supplies: 90% of its imports transit the Gulf of Hormuz, with about one-third sourced from Qatar. The attacks are part of broader US-Israeli-Iranian hostilities, which have driven Brent crude prices above $118, nearing 2022 highs. Energy experts warn the damage could severely impact global LPG supply.
India's stock market rebounded slightly on Friday after a massive sell-off on Wednesday, where indices fell over 3.3% and investors lost nearly Rs 12 lakh crore ($1.2 billion). The plunge was largely driven by soaring oil prices due to the Middle East conflict. Despite government assurances, small businesses across India are temporarily shutting down due to LPG scarcity, with owners citing black market prices triple the official rate.
Households are also rationing gas, cooking only basic meals to conserve supplies. The Indian government has encouraged alternative fuels like piped natural gas and is seeking diversified imports, but analysts caution that prolonged Middle East instability could exacerbate the crisis, straining India's economy and energy security further.
Source: www.dw.com