New Delhi:
World Bank Group President Ajay Banga met Prime Minister Narendra Modi today, days after India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack. The meeting comes after India carried out airstrikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir. Pakistan yesterday attempted to target Indian military installations in 15 cities, but was rebuffed. India today retaliated by striking air defence systems in Pakistan.
The World Bank president’s meeting with Prime Minister Modi comes shortly after India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty that was signed in 1960 between Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Pakistan President Mohammad Ayub Khan. The World Bank had aided the nine-year-long talks that paved the way for the treaty. It is also a signatory to the pact.
Following the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, India had stopped the flow of water through the Baglihar dam on the Chenab river for the past few days. A run-of-the-river power project, Baglihar dam is located in Jammu and Kashmir’s Ramban district and currently generates 900 MW of hydroelectricity.
Built in line with the Indus Waters pact, it can hold water only to a certain height. Once that is met, India must release water. The only way to stop water for longer durations is to increase the dam’s height, which would not happen overnight. India’s move to block water was, therefore, a message to Pakistan amid rising tensions.
During his visit to India, Mr Banga will also be visiting Uttar Pradesh tomorrow and participate in a series of meetings and events. “His visit reflects the increasing global interest in Uttar Pradesh’s rapid development under the leadership of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, as the state moves steadily toward its ambitious goal of becoming a USD 1 trillion economy,” the Uttar Pradesh government said in a statement.