Overflowing Jhelum panics PoK residents, seen as Pahalgam aftereffect

By Nava Thakuria*

Amid India’s mounting pressure on Pakistan for its patronage of terrorism in Kashmir over decades, several Pakistani media outlets have attributed the upsurge in the Jhelum River—flowing from Jammu & Kashmir into Pakistan—as by New Delhi. Mainstream newspapers and news channels in Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachi reported the overflow of Jhelum as a probable consequence of India's suspension of a 65-year-old bilateral river treaty following the Pahalgam terrorist attack on 22 April 2025, in which 26 innocent Indian tourists were killed by Islamist terrorists.

India responded strongly with a diplomatic offensive, including closing the integrated Attari-Wagah border crossing, suspending visa services for Pakistani nationals, and abrogating the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), signed in 1960 by then-Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Pakistan President Mohammed Ayub Khan. India’s Foreign Ministry announced the treaty’s suspension would remain until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably renounced its support for cross-border terrorism. Islamabad, in turn, vowed retaliatory measures. The National Investigation Agency has since taken charge of probing the Pahalgam attack.

On 27 April, The Express Tribune, a popular Pakistani newspaper, reported unexpected flooding in the Jhelum River in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). “The sudden release of water triggered a high-level flood, causing widespread panic among local communities overnight,” the report claimed, adding that the Muzaffarabad administration declared a water emergency. Announcements from mosques warned riverside residents to adopt immediate precautions, while emergency protocols were initiated.

The News International echoed similar concerns, alleging the flood violated international laws and river agreements. Daily Times suggested that India had released water into the Jhelum without prior notification, causing a sharp rise in levels. The local administration advised residents near the riverbanks to stay away. Dunya News reported an 8-foot rise in water levels in Muzaffarabad, while Pakistan Today noted similar surges in Chakothi. Ary News claimed the water release, allegedly from the Uri hydroelectric dam, aimed to create a flood-like scenario in Pakistan.

Indian authorities remained silent on speculations regarding the flood. The water level, however, subsided the following day. Experts attributed the overflow to melting snow and heavy rain in Kashmir’s catchment areas. Some raised concerns that reservoir flushing operations at Indian hydroelectric projects might have exacerbated the flooding. They cautioned that repeating such releases during the sowing season could impact irrigation and agriculture in Pakistan’s Punjab province.

Meanwhile, following the Pahalgam attack, India’s Information & Broadcasting Ministry issued an advisory urging all media outlets, especially news channels, to refrain from live coverage of defense operations or troop movements. “No real-time coverage, dissemination of visuals, or reporting based on ‘sources-based’ information concerning defense activities should be undertaken. Premature disclosure of sensitive details could inadvertently aid hostile elements,” the advisory stated, citing examples like the Kargil War and the Mumbai attacks, where unrestricted media coverage had unintended consequences.

The advisory emphasized the media's legal and moral responsibilities, urging stakeholders to exercise vigilance and uphold national security. It warned that violation of Cable Television Network Rules, specifically Rule 6(1)(p), would result in legal action. Media coverage should be restricted to official briefings by designated government representatives until the conclusion of operations.

The ministry concluded, “Media and digital platforms play a vital role in safeguarding national security. Let us ensure that collective actions do not compromise the safety and effectiveness of our forces.”

---

*Senior journalist based in Guwahati

Comments

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

The golden crop: How turmeric is transforming women's lives in tribal India

By Vikas Meshram* When the lush green fields of turmeric sway in the tribal belt of southern Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat, it is not merely a spice crop — it is the golden glow of self-reliance. In villages where even basic spices once had to be bought from the market, the very soil today is yielding a prosperity that has transformed the lives of thousands of families. At the heart of this transformation is the initiative of Vaagdhara, which has linked turmeric with livelihoods, nutrition, and village self-governance — gram swaraj.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Rajiv Shah Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

Authoritarian destruction of the public sphere in Ecuador: Trumpism in action?

By Pilar Troya Fernández The situation in Ecuador under Daniel Noboa's government is one of authoritarianism advancing on several fronts simultaneously to consolidate neoliberalism and total submission to the US international agenda. These are not isolated measures, but rather a coordinated strategy that combines job insecurity, the dismantling of the welfare state, unrestricted access to mining, the continuation of oil exploitation without environmental considerations, the centralization of power through the financial suffocation of local governments, and the systematic criminalization of all forms of opposition and popular organization.

Echoes of Vietnam and Chile: The devastating cost of the I-A Axis in Iran

By Ram Puniyani The recent joint military actions by Israel and the United States against Iran have been devastating. Like all wars, this conflict is brutal to its core, leaving a trail of human suffering in its wake. The stated pretext for this aggression—the brutality of the Ayatollah Khamenei regime and its nuclear ambitions—clashes sharply with the reality of the diplomatic landscape. Iran had expressed a willingness to remain at the negotiating table, signaling a readiness to concede points emerging from dialogue.

False claim? What Venezuela is witnessing is not surrender but a tactical retreat

By Manolo De Los Santos The early morning hours of January 3, 2026, marked an inflection point in Venezuela and Latin America’s centuries-long struggle for self-determination and independence. Operation Absolute Resolve, ordered by the Trump administration, constituted the most brutal and direct military assault on a sovereign state in the region in recent memory. In a shocking operation that left hundreds dead, President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores were illegally kidnapped from Venezuelan soil and transported to the United States, where they now face fabricated charges in a New York federal detention facility. In the two months since this act of war, a torrent of speculation has emerged from so-called experts and pundits across the political spectrum. This has followed three main lines: One . The operation’s success indicated treason at the highest levels of the Bolivarian Revolution. Two . Acting President Delcy Rodríguez and the remaining leadership have abandone...

The selective memory of a violent city: Uttam Nagar and the invisible victims of Delhi

By Sunil Kumar* Hundreds of murders take place in Delhi every year, yet only a few incidents become topics of nationwide discussion. The question is: why does this happen? Today, the incident in Uttam Nagar has become the centre of national debate. A 26-year-old man, Tarun Kumar, was killed following a dispute that reportedly began after a balloon hit a small child. In several colonies of Delhi, slogans such as “Jai Shri Ram” and “Vande Mataram” are being raised while demanding the death penalty for Tarun’s killers. As a result, nearly 50,000 residents of Hastsal JJ Colony are now living in what resembles a state of confinement.

The price of silence: Why Modi won’t follow Shastri, appeal for sacrifice

By Arundhati Dhuru, Sandeep Pandey* In 1965, as India grappled with war and a crippling food crisis, Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri faced a United States that used wheat shipments under the PL-480 agreement as a lever to dictate Indian foreign policy. Shastri’s response remains legendary: he appealed to the nation to skip one meal a day. Millions of middle-class households complied, choosing temporary hunger over the sacrifice of national dignity. Today, India faces a modern equivalent in the energy sector, yet the leadership’s response stands in stark contrast to that era of self-reliance.

Gujarat government urged to introduce heat-stress safety rules for construction workers

By A Representative A representation submitted to Gujarat Labour, Skill Development and Employment Minister Kunvarji Bavaliya has urged the state government to introduce legally enforceable safety standards to protect construction workers from extreme heat and heatwaves, and to launch a financial assistance scheme for labourers affected by climate-related health risks.

Search This Blog