Translated with AI
India has stopped water supply to Pakistan through the Baglihar Dam located on the Chenab River in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, Interfax reports, citing the Hindustan Times.
"We have closed the floodgates at Baglihar Dam (…) the process started on Saturday," an unnamed official of state-owned hydropower company NHPC Limited told the publication.
According to the newspaper, after a week of discussions and hydrological assessments, the dam management took such steps, reducing the water flow reaching Pakistan by 90%. The Indian side's actions on Saturday were preceded by Pakistan's test launch of an Abdali ballistic missile.
Indian authorities are also planning similar steps at the Kishanganga Dam in Jammu and Kashmir in the northwest Himalayas. The site is set to undergo major maintenance work soon, during which water supplies downstream of the Kishanganga River will be suspended.
"We are prepared for strict penalties from Pakistan and around 50 engineers from NHPC are already in Jammu and Kashmir to oversee the operations in question," another company official told the publication.
On April 22, a group of militants opened fire on people in a tourist hotspot in the northern Indian city of Pahalgam. According to the latest reports, 26 people were killed in the attack. This led to a sharp deterioration in relations between India and Pakistan. In particular, the Indian authorities suspended the Indus Waters Treaty, which regulates the use of a number of rivers by both countries. Since then, there have been repeated reports of gunfire in several areas of the Line of Control, the demarcation line between India and Pakistan.
Meanwhile, according to The Times of India, Indian security forces have destroyed a hideout of enemy militants in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district and seized large stockpiles of arms and ammunition. At the same time, law enforcement agencies in the region have set up checkpoints on major roads and key sites, deployed rapid response teams near popular tourist spots, and beefed up security around hotels.
