Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday dismissed Pakistan’s suggestion that China could weaponise the Brahmaputra against India. Sarma informed Pakistan, that the river “grows in India, not shrinks”.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday countered Pakistan’s claims that China could weaponise the Brahmaputra by cutting off its flow to India, stating that the river “grows in India, not shrinks”. His response came after Rana Ihsaan Afzal, an aide to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, drew parallels between the Indus Waters Treaty and a hypothetical Chinese blockade of the Brahmaputra.
“If India does something like this, they stop the flow to Pakistan, then China can also do the same thing. But if things like this happen, then the entire world will be in a war,” Afzal told Geo News.
CM Breaks Down The Numbers
However, geographical realities make Afzal’s warning largely impractical. As Sarma explained in a post on X, “China contributes only 30–35% of the Brahmaputra’s total flow — mostly through glacial melt and limited Tibetan rainfall. The remaining 65–70% is generated within India, thanks to: Torrential monsoon rainfall in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Nagaland, and Meghalaya, Major tributaries like Subansiri, Lohit, Kameng, Manas, Dhansiri, Jia-Bharali, Kopili and additional inflows from the Khasi, Garo, and Jaintia Hills via rivers such as Krishnai, Digaru, and Kulsi.”
What If China Stops Brahmaputra Water to India?
A Response to Pakistan’s New Scare NarrativeAfter India decisively moved away from the outdated Indus Waters Treaty, Pakistan is now spinning another manufactured threat:
“What if China stops the Brahmaputra’s water to India?”…— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) June 2, 2025
