SOURCE: AFI
Renowned Pakistani nuclear physicist Dr. Samar Mubarakmand, celebrated for his pivotal role in Pakistan’s nuclear and missile programs, has ignited a firestorm of debate with bold claims about Pakistan’s ability to counter India’s control over water flows in the Indus River system. Following India’s suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in April 2025, prompted by the Pahalgam terror attack, Mubarakmand asserted that Pakistan possesses advanced cyber capabilities to hack into the computer systems controlling India’s dams, such as Baglihar and Salal on the Chenab River, to release water.
Additionally, he claimed that the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) could destroy these dams using Shaheen-II and Shaheen-III missiles if India restricts water flow. These statements, reported by outlets like The Nation and amplified on X, have been met with skepticism and ridicule by Indian online communities, who dismissed them as “fake fantasies” of Pakistan. The controversy highlights the escalating tensions over water security and the technological and military dimensions of the India-Pakistan rivalry.
Dr. Samar Mubarakmand, a key figure in Pakistan’s nuclear tests at Chagai in 1998 and the development of the Shaheen and Babur missile programs, made these remarks in a YouTube interview titled “Just 3 Buttons… What If India Blocks Pakistan’s Water? Dr. Samar’s Shocking Response!” on May 29, 2025. He claimed that Pakistan’s cyber capabilities could infiltrate the computer systems controlling the gates of India’s run-of-the-river dams, enabling remote manipulation to release water. “If India stops our water, we can open dam gates via cyberattack,” he stated, emphasizing Pakistan’s technological prowess. Additionally, he warned that the PAF could deploy Shaheen-II (range: 1,500–2,000 km) and Shaheen-III (range: 2,750 km) missiles to destroy dams like Baglihar (900 MW) and Salal (690 MW), asserting, “If a single button is pressed, India’s dams will be blown away.”
Mubarakmand’s comments come in the context of India’s recent actions to regulate water flow in the Chenab River, a critical lifeline for Pakistan’s Punjab province, which supports 80% of its agricultural irrigation. Following the IWT suspension on April 26, 2025, India closed the gates of Baglihar and Salal dams for desilting and refilling, causing water levels at Pakistan’s Marala headworks to plummet by up to 90% (from 31,000 cusecs to 3,100 cusecs) between May 1–6, 2025. Pakistan’s Indus River System Authority (IRSA) reported these fluctuations as deliberate, prompting fears of agricultural disruption. Mubarakmand’s remarks reflect Pakistan’s broader anxieties about water security, with the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources predicting potential water scarcity by 2025.
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