Key Points

This development adds to Pakistan's woes, which already stand on the back foot after the suspension of the Indus Water Treaty, following the Pahalgam terror attack.

NHPC has released an official notification, inviting e-tenders for the project that was originally conceived in the 1960s.

The last date for submission of online bids is September 10.

The project site is located near Sidhu village in Ramban district, roughly 120 km from Jammu and 130 km from Srinagar,

Construction of the Sawalkote Hydroelectric Project is a major step to optimise India's use of Indus water as the treaty remains suspended. The Indus Water Treaty was put in abeyance as one of India's strict actions against Pakistan in response to the Pahalgam terror attack.

Yesterday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar emphasised the importance of the Indus Water Treaty is and criticised Congress for agreeing to various terms with Pakistan.

"The Indus Water Treaty, in many ways, is a very unique agreement. I cannot think of any agreement in the world where a country has allowed its major rivers to flow to the next country without having rights on that river," Jaishankar said.

He also targeted Jawaharlal Nehru over his statement in Parliament back in 1960 regarding the treaty.

"On November 30th 1960. He (Jawaharlal Nehru) says I would like to know if this house is to judge the quantum of supply of water or money to be given. People objected to that. PM also said, 'Let me do this treaty for the interest of Pakistani Punjab, not a word about farmers of Kashmir or Punjab. Not a word about Rajasthan or Gujarat,'" Jaishankar said.

He also added that PM Modi has "corrected" Jawaharlal Nehru's "mistakes" when it comes to handling the Indus Water Treaty and Article 370.

"We were told for 60 years that nothing could be done. Pandit Nehru's mistake can't be corrected. The Narendra Modi government showed it can be corrected. Article 370 was corrected, and IWT is being corrected. The Indus Water Treaty will be held in abeyance until Pakistan irrevocably gives up its support of terrorism. We have warned that Blood and water will not flow together," he said.

The Indus Waters Treaty, brokered by the World Bank and signed in 1960, governs the distribution of water from the Indus River system between India and Pakistan. The treaty has withstood multiple wars and diplomatic crises, but recent tensions have prompted fresh discussions on its future.

The treaty allocates the eastern rivers (Beas, Ravi, and Sutlej) to India and the western rivers (Indus, Chenab, and Jhelum) to Pakistan, with some provisions for India to use the western rivers for limited irrigation and non-consumptive uses like power generation.

- ANI