A prominent Indian minister said on Tuesday that New Delhi is looking for options to respond to China's move to block a tributary of the Brahmaputra River. However, he did not elaborate on what options India is considering.

"The Central Government is seized of the situation and we are working on it," said India's Union Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan. "Leave it to the Prime Minister and the government. We will come out with a solution."

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China on Saturday announced that it had blocked a tributary of the Brahmaputra River to India. This move was made to facilitate work on one of the "most expensive" hydropower projects in Tibet.  However, it is not clear whether the decision will have any impact on the flow of water towards India and Bangladesh - the two countries where Brahmaputra's tributary gets drained.   

China's move comes just as Indian government had started reviewing the Indus water treaty to scrap its water sharing agreement with Pakistan.

New Delhi is piling diplomatic pressure on Pakistan in the wake of the recent Uri attack that left 18 Indian soldiers dead. Scrapping the Indus water treaty is the latest diplomatic move that Indian government was mulling over. However, experts say that India has been left completely stumped by China's unexpected decision to block the Brahmaputra tributary.

Indian authorities suspect Pakistan's hand behind China's decision. Islamabad has been counting on China's diplomatic support in the ongoing tension with India. Any support by China, the closest ally of Pakistan, would give a huge boost to Islamabad's falling morale in the wake of the lack of international support.

Pakistan and China's relation with India is underpinned by festering border issues. Both countries have fought wars with India to settle border disputes. The Kashmir dispute has been responsible for most of the wars fought between India and Pakistan. The disputed northern Himalayan region is also responsible for the current tension between New Delhi and Islamabad.        

TagsIndia, India and China, brahmaputra river, china