New Delhi, May 7 -- Waters from India's rivers will now be used for the country's interests, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday, indicating the government's intention to curb the flow of water to Pakistan amid escalating tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad. Without naming Pakistan, the PM said, "Bharat ka Paani, Bharat ke haq mein bahe ga...India's water used to go outside; it will now be used for India's interests and will be utilised for the country." The PM was addressing a conclave organised by ABP network. Modi's statement comes in the wake of India's decision to put the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance following the April 22 terror attack in Kashmir's Pahalgam that led to the killing of 26 tourists. India accuses Pakistan of playing a role in the terror attack. Modi's comments on Tuesday were the first since the government suspended the Indus Waters Treaty. The treaty, mediated by the World Bank in 1960, allocates water from six rivers-the Indus, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej-between India and Pakistan. The PM also said that the government in the last 10 years has taken several tough decisions that were in the nation's interest but were put on hold by previous governments owing to a lack of political will. He said India has been undertaking reforms but also actively engaging with the world and has made itself a vibrant trade hub. "To take big decisions, to achieve our goals, it is important that we put the country's interests on the top... Unfortunately for decades the thought process was otherwise, and the country suffered a lot. There was a time when before taking any big decision, before taking any big step, it used to be said what will the world think. For various reasons, such as votebank politics, et cetera, big reforms and big decisions were put on hold. No country can progress this way," he said. The PM said a country moves forward when decisions are only based on one parameter-country first. "In the last one decade, India has followed this policy of country first and today we are seeing the results. In the last 10-11 years, the government has taken big decisions one after the other that had been put on hold," he said. He cited the example of reforms in the banking sector, which he said is the spine of economy. He said before 2014, banks were on the brink of dire conditions, but today the banking sector is the strongest system in the world. "Banks are making record profit, and depositors are benefitting from this because it has been possible because our government made constant reforms in the banking sector. In the interest of the country, we carried out the merger of smaller banks," he said....