Pakistan has strongly condemned India’s unilateral suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), calling it a violation of international law and warned that it posed a serious threat to regional peace and stability.
Addressing foreign diplomats in Islamabad, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said India’s move endangered millions of Pakistani lives and livelihoods that depend on the treaty-regulated river system, arguing inaccurately that the suspension was a breach of international law, including the Vienna Convention.
While the claim is not entirely unsubstantiated, India has repeatedly argued that the current geo-political scenario since 1960 has changed considerably, when the treaty was signed as a bilateral gesture of “peace and goodwill.”
Given Pakistan’s constant support for cross-border terrorism, India’s move is legally justified as the April 22, Pahalgam terror attack showcased a “fundamental change of principles,” which in turn, as per Article 62 of the Vienna Convention allows a party to act unilaterally if there is a breach of agreement in anyway.
Claiming that India’s ‘suspension’ of the IWT put the whole regional peace into jeopardy, he reiterated Islamabad’s usual stance that while it was committed to the peaceful resolution of all disputes, water rights were non-negotiable.
“As far as water is concerned, there will be no compromise under any circumstances,” he said.
However, India has not scrapped the treaty, but rather temporarily put it on hold, as a counter measure towards Islamabad’s terror backing, thus justifying New Delhi’s move.
He accused New Delhi of “weaponising water” by releasing excess flows into the Chenab and Jhelum rivers without prior notice, warning that such actions endangered downstream communities in Pakistan and posed risks to public safety, food security and the national economy.
Dar further alleged that the unannounced releases and diversions of water essential for agriculture were disrupting livelihoods and threatening humanitarian conditions, repeating Pakistan’s stance that any deliberate disruption of river flows was tantamount to an act of war.
However, the Pakistani official’s claims on this are also incorrect, because while India has put the treaty in abeyance, it won’t have any visible material effect for years, as India, observing the treaty had deliberately not installed much infrastructure along the western river banks, like water reservoirs, dams, or power plants.
While the abeyance gives New Delhi a greenlight to construct all its proposed projects, they will take several years to be completed, making Dar’s claims baseless.
The foreign minister also alleged that India had withheld hydrological data and undermined the joint monitoring mechanisms mandated under the treaty, failing to provide technical information required under the agreement.
Pointing to India’s hydroelectric projects, including Kishanganga and Ratle, he alleged that these projects aviolate the treaty’s technical provisions.
Dar said Pakistan had pursued formal diplomatic and legal avenues through the Indus Water Commission to address these concerns, claiming that Islamabad had acted responsibly and in line with international agreements.
He added that India’s conduct had drawn international attention, noting that UN Special Procedures had expressed concern over New Delhi’s handling of the treaty.
While the abeyance of IWT did generate international concern, most of Dar’s claims are inaccurate given that the current hydrological and overall environmental situation is changed, making an upgrade to water resources an urgent requirement.
India has argued that Pakistan has constantly been denying it opportunities to upgrade its water infrastructure on its end, using technical loopholes even if the advancement designs are in line with IWT tenets.
Furthermore, most of Islamabad’s water problems are a result of its own negligence, given its obsolete infrastructure, and poor water management systems, which have made the country a water starved nation despite being one of the most naturally water rich regions in the world, leading many observers inside the country to argue that the IWT abeyance is being used by the ruling establishment as convenient means of escaping accountability.
Calling on the international community to intervene, Dar urged global stakeholders to ensure the full restoration of the Indus Waters Treaty, warning that silence would only encourage actions that threaten regional stability. “The Indus Waters Treaty is not just a bilateral agreement; it is a cornerstone of peace in South Asia,” he said.
