On 16 January 2026, India unilaterally approved the Dulhasti Stage-II Hydropower Project on the Chenab River, following its suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in April 2025, a treaty signed between India and Pakistan. This action violates the Treaty’s provisions governing the Western Rivers and infringes upon Pakistan’s legally protected rights under this binding international agreement. India’s move marks a dangerous strategic shift, turning water from a shared resource into a tool of coercion and directly threatening Pakistan’s national, human, and environmental security. The unilateral suspension and expedited approval of upstream projects—including the withholding of hydrological data, diversion of river flows, and alteration of natural regimes—constitute deliberate water weaponization, jeopardizing Pakistan’s agriculture, food security, hydropower generation, and ecological stability.…