India to suspend Indus water commission talks

India has decided to suspend Indus water commission talks until Pakistan-sponsored terror in India ends, according to sources.

The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday to review the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) with Pakistan amidst heightened tension between the two countries.

National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar, the Water Resources Secretary, and senior PMO officials were present at the meeting.

Sources told The Hindu that while the Indus Water Treaty was not reviewed in the meeting, steps to utilise India's western rivers better were discussed.

It was also decided to suspend the 1987 Tulbul navigation project and review it. The Prime Minister was briefed about the dams under construction in Jammu and Kashmir, who wanted it to be expedited.

The sources said the Prime Minister said that "blood and water can't flow together."

The review is being undertaken as India weighs options to give a befitting response to Pakistan to the Uri attack that left 18 soldiers dead.

There have been consistent calls in India that the government scrap the water distribution pact to mount pressure on Pakistan in the aftermath of the terror attack.