Pakistan on Tuesday used the country's first international seminar on the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) to reinforce its legal, diplomatic and political case against India's decision to place the landmark water-sharing agreement in abeyance. Senior government leaders and international experts warned that the dispute carries implications far beyond South Asia.
Seminar Gathers High-Level Participants
The day-long seminar, “Indus Waters Treaty: An Instrument of Peace and Regional Stability,” brought together cabinet ministers, former foreign ministers, diplomats, legal experts and international scholars to discuss the future of the 1960 World Bank-brokered treaty, which governs the sharing of the Indus river system between Pakistan and India.
Brokered by the World Bank in 1960, the Indus Waters Treaty is regarded as one of the world's most enduring water-sharing agreements. It governs the distribution of the waters of the six-river Indus basin between Pakistan and India, allocating the three eastern rivers, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej, to India while granting Pakistan rights over the three western rivers, Indus, Jhelum and Chenab. Although India is permitted limited use of the western rivers under clearly defined provisions, Pakistan retains the primary rights over their waters.
Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar's Strong Warning
Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said the Indus Waters Treaty is not merely a water-sharing arrangement, but a vital instrument of regional peace, stability and cooperation. “Ladies and gentlemen, we sincerely advise India against sowing the seeds of war and jeopardizing the peace and security of our region,” Dar said during his speech at the seminar in Islamabad.
Dar recalled that Pakistan and India concluded the Indus Waters Treaty in 1960 under the auspices of the World Bank. The treaty established a durable and carefully negotiated framework, allocating three eastern rivers to India and three western rivers to Pakistan. He underscored that the treaty justified that confidence for more than six decades, including periods of war and political tension, and has rightly been regarded as one of the most successful examples of trans-boundary water cooperation anywhere in the world.
Gravest Challenge to the Treaty
Ishaq Dar said it is regrettable that this landmark treaty now faces its gravest challenge. He said India's unilateral decision to place the treaty in abeyance has no basis in the treaty itself or in international law. “Pakistan rejects India's unilateral and illegal announcement,” he added. “The Indus Waters Treaty remains valid, binding and operative. No party can unilaterally suspend or terminate its obligations under a treaty that contains no such provision.”
Dar made it clear that any attempt to deprive Pakistan of the waters rightfully allocated to Pakistan under the treaty would have profound consequences for regional peace and security. He said Pakistan would safeguard and defend its rights and interests under international law through all available means.
Commissioner Alleges Indian Violations
Addressing the seminar, Pakistan's Commissioner for Indus Waters, Syed Mehr Ali Shah, alleged that India had not been complying with certain treaty obligations since August 2023 and said Pakistan had recently written to New Delhi seeking the sharing of hydrological data as required under the agreement. He termed India's unilateral suspension of the treaty completely illegal and a clear violation of its provisions, alleging that India was diverting waters from the Chenab River in a manner that could significantly affect downstream flows into Pakistan.
The commissioner further alleged that India was constructing a Chenab-Beas link despite treaty restrictions, maintaining that such diversion was not permissible under the agreement. He said Pakistan was also entitled under the treaty to inspect the project.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari: Water Cannot Be Weaponized
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said any move to block, divert, manipulate, or control Pakistan's rightful waters will not be treated as routine engineering. “The Indus cannot be held hostage and the treaty cannot be suspended by arrogance,” he said. “The river cannot be turned into a weapon and the thirst of children cannot become the policy of a neighbouring state.” He made it clear that Pakistan will never surrender its waters.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said Pakistan wants dialogue, but it must be under the law. He said Pakistan wants coexistence, but not submission. He said Pakistan will defend its water, people, the treaty, sovereignty, and future. He warned that by weaponising water, India is not merely violating a treaty but is also pushing South Asia towards the edge of strategic catastrophe. He cautioned that Pakistan must respond militarily if it sees an attack on its rivers as a military assault.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar's Resolve
Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar expressed Pakistan's resolve to protect the sanctity of the Indus Waters Treaty by all means. Addressing the opening session, he said the Indus is our lifeline and vowed to protect the inalienable right of 240 million people of Pakistan to the waters of the Indus River System. He said it is our collective responsibility to ensure that these waters remain a symbol of peace and shared prosperity for generations to come.
Tarar said the Indus Waters Treaty cannot be amended, revoked, suspended or held in abeyance unilaterally. He mentioned that this pact came into being after mutual consensus and only mutual consensus can lead to any amendment. He warned if any attempt is made to stop the water of Pakistan, our leadership stands resolved to respond effectively to restore the water for the people of Pakistan.
Climate Change Minister Musadik Malik Highlights Economic Impact
Minister for Climate Change Musadik Malik highlighted the importance of the Indus river system for Pakistan's economy, agriculture and food security, regretting the manipulation of the flows of water by the neighbouring country.
International Experts Weigh In
Vice President of the Centre for China and Globalization Dr Victor Gao said threatening to stop the flow of water to downstream countries in times of peace is a crime against humanity, while this act becomes a war crime if done in times of war. He expressed China's commitment to defend the fundamental interests of Pakistan, especially including Pakistan's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Former President of the National Defence University, Islamabad, Lieutenant General (Retired) Aamer Riaz said any intention of taking Pakistan's waters is a very serious threat to Pakistan's national security. He said the Indus Waters Treaty has to be kept alive at all costs and stressed the need to keep all international legal discourses fully activated.
Global Policy Expert Laurie Watkins called for the unconditional restoration of the permanent Indus Water Commission's engagements. She said the meeting schedule is a legal obligation and not a diplomatic favour. “Real-time data must flow in both directions transparently. The two sides must respect the arbitral process. The Court of Arbitration has jurisdiction and its awards are valid. Non-participation and rejection do not make the awards just disappear.” She urged the international community to affirm that abeyance has no basis in international water law, noting that unilateral suspension of a treaty's obligations is not a recognized legal act under the framework governed by shared watercourses.
Former Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar's Call
Former Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar said all the provisions of this treaty shall continue in force until terminated by a duly ratified treaty concluded for that purpose between the two governments. She noted that the Indus Waters Treaty, being a water-sharing arrangement, survived three wars. She urged the international community to play its due role in mitigating the situation.
