Azad Kashmir (PoK): In what Pakistani officials are calling a cowardly and vengeful act of “water aggression”, authorities report that India has released dam water into the Poonch River via the dam’s spillway—again, without prior warning—causing flood waters to rise dangerously in Azad Kashmir’s low-lying areas .
Because of this unannounced release, several regions—including Battal, Dharamsal, Tatta Pani, and Kotli—are now at serious risk of flooding. Local officials have issued an emergency alert and ordered residents to relocate to safer ground. Rescue teams have also been deployed to respond to potential emergencies .
Pakistani authorities have condemned this move as “water terrorism,” pointing out that India suspended the historic Indus Waters Treaty on April 23, 2025, citing national security concerns after the Pahalgam terror attack. Pakistan has warned that such unilateral actions, especially withholding hydrological data and failing to notify downstream communities, violate international law and could be treated as an act of war .
Moreover, this is not an isolated incident. Pakistan has accused India of previously executing sudden water releases without warning, such as the one on the Jhelum River via the Uri Dam in late April, which triggered flooding and panic in Muzaffarabad and other parts of PoK. Local authorities had sounded mosque alarms and urged mass evacuations amid rising currents .
The region is accustomed to rising river levels during monsoon and snowmelt seasons, but experts warn that India lacks sufficient dam storage capacity to deliberately block or divert water on a long-term basis—making the timing and abrupt nature of these releases all the more suspect . Still, Pakistan says even short-term manipulations of flow can cause severe damage to agriculture, irrigation, and livelihoods—especially in downstream areas.
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Officials accuse India of pursuing a pattern of revenge through such hydrological tactics, exploiting the natural monsoon season to justify hostile maneuvers that inflict harm on Pakistani territory. In more escalatory tone, Pakistan’s Defense Minister warned that any further unilateral action could prompt military retaliation, including potential targeting of Indian infrastructure built in violation of water-sharing agreements .
Bottom line:
Pakistani authorities allege a deliberate, politically motivated campaign—framed as cowardice cloaked in hydrological manipulation—in which India has opened dam spillways without notice, endangering lives and bore down on downstream communities in a calculated act of cross-border aggression.