Beijing accelerates Mohmand Dam project in Pakistan after Delhi halts 1960 water-sharing pact

China has announced a rapid acceleration of its flagship Mohmand Hydropower Project in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, days before Pakistan’s deputy prime minister visits Beijing. The move follows India’s suspension of the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed Indian tourists — a shift in regional water politics that’s already triggering ripples across borders.

The dam, under construction since 2019 by the state-run China Energy Engineering Corporation, was initially slated for completion by 2026. But according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, concrete filling on the dam has now begun, signalling the start of what it termed a “critical construction milestone.” The broadcaster declared the hydropower plant a “national flagship project” of Pakistan, reflecting Beijing’s growing investment in Islamabad’s infrastructure amid heightened India-Pakistan tensions.

With over 800 megawatts of generation capacity and a projected daily water supply of 300 million gallons for the city of Peshawar, the Mohmand Dam is a multi-purpose development expected to deliver electricity, flood protection, and irrigation benefits to the water-stressed region.

The timing of the dam’s acceleration is significant. It comes just ahead of Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar’s visit to China, where he is expected to meet top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi. The South China Morning Post reported the fast-tracking as a direct response to India’s treaty suspension, characterising it as Beijing’s attempt to ease the growing pressure on its “all-weather” ally.

India suspended its obligations under the Indus Waters Treaty just days after the Pahalgam attack, claiming Pakistan violated key provisions of the decades-old agreement. The treaty, brokered by the World Bank in 1960, governs the use of six rivers across both countries. It allocates eastern rivers (Ravi, Beas, Sutlej) to India and western rivers (Indus, Jhelum, Chenab) to Pakistan — the latter providing nearly 80% of Pakistan’s water for drinking and irrigation.

The Indian government, in suspending the agreement, cited what it described as “systemic support” from Pakistan-based groups for cross-border terrorism, breaching the treaty’s spirit. The decision drew concern from Islamabad, which has been urging India to return to the negotiating table in recent days, citing severe water shortages and economic stress.

Observers believe China’s renewed pace on the Mohmand project serves both economic and symbolic purposes. Economically, it boosts Pakistan’s capacity to manage water insecurity, especially as fears grow over access to the Indus water. Symbolically, it signals Beijing’s intention to stand firmly behind Pakistan in a shifting South Asian power dynamic.

Chinese-backed energy and infrastructure projects have become a cornerstone of Pakistan’s development strategy, especially under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). However, critics argue that fast-tracking such mega-dams can heighten regional tensions, particularly if seen as a geopolitical response rather than a development necessity.

The Mohmand Dam is expected to reduce Pakistan’s annual reliance on seasonal rainfall and groundwater depletion. But any Chinese advancement in disputed or sensitive regions has the potential to exacerbate India’s strategic anxieties, especially as New Delhi seeks global backing for its response to the Pahalgam attack.

The water-sharing pact had long been one of the few surviving agreements between the arch-rivals, even during wartime. India’s decision to freeze the IWT marks a dramatic shift in posture, with potential legal, diplomatic, and humanitarian consequences.

As Islamabad leans further into its partnership with Beijing and China boosts its dam-building diplomacy, South Asia’s hydropolitics may be entering a new era — one marked by hardened alliances and contested flows.