India on Friday rejected Pakistani media reports alleging that it deliberately caused flooding in Pakistan, calling the claims "baseless" and attributing the rise in water levels in the Chenab River to heavy monsoon rainfall.
In a statement, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said increased river flows were a natural hydrological response to heavy rainfall over Jammu and adjoining catchment areas between July 20 and July 23, and not the result of any upstream intervention by India.
The government also referred to a July 22 flood advisory issued by Pakistan's Flood Forecasting Division in Lahore, which attributed the high water levels in the Chenab to heavy rainfall over the upper catchment. The advisory said elevated flows at Marala were expected to continue before gradually receding as rainfall eased.
India said the advisory contradicted allegations that it had intentionally released water to cause flooding downstream.
Rejecting claims that it failed to issue flood warnings, the government said river discharge during the period did not reach extraordinary levels that would have warranted a special flood alert. It added that the observed flows were consistent with normal monsoon conditions over the upper catchments.
The Ministry of External Affairs also dismissed suggestions that India deliberately withheld flood-related information, saying the allegations were "without factual basis" and unsupported by hydrological data or Pakistan's own official flood assessments.
Despite the allegations, India said it would continue to share real-time high-flood data with Pakistan on humanitarian grounds, as it did last year. The government said such information would be shared through established diplomatic channels whenever flood conditions require it.
The clarification comes amid heightened tensions and renewed scrutiny over water-sharing issues between the two neighbouring countries.