The ongoing dispute between India and Pakistan over the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) has intensified, with Pakistan once again issuing a strong warning against any move that could affect its share of water. Senior Pakistani ministers have accused India of attempting to restrict water flows and vowed to defend Islamabad’s rights under the decades-old agreement.
The latest remarks come months after India decided to place the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance following the April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed the lives of 26 people. New Delhi blamed Pakistan-backed terrorists for the attack, while Islamabad rejected the allegations.
Pakistan Warns Against Any Attempt to Restrict Water
Speaking at a joint press conference alongside Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Pakistan’s Climate Change Minister Musadik Malik alleged that India was trying to control water allocated to Pakistan under the treaty.
Malik warned that Pakistan would strongly resist any attempt to interfere with its water rights, describing water security as a matter of national importance for the country.
His remarks mark the latest in a series of strong statements from Pakistani leaders since India suspended the implementation of the treaty earlier this year.
Pakistan Says Treaty Cannot Be Suspended Unilaterally
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar maintained that the Indus Waters Treaty remains legally valid and argued that it cannot be suspended, amended or revoked by one country alone.
According to the Pakistani government, the treaty continues to be protected under international law despite India’s decision to keep it in abeyance.
Tarar also claimed that Pakistan’s legal position has received support in several international forums and insisted that the agreement remains enforceable.
The minister said both Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir have repeatedly described water security as a “red line” for Pakistan.
Pakistan to Hold International Seminar on Water Treaty
As part of its diplomatic campaign, Pakistan has announced an international seminar in Islamabad focused on the Indus Waters Treaty.
The conference is expected to bring together legal experts, water specialists and foreign delegates to discuss the legal, technical and strategic aspects of the agreement.
Pakistani officials say the event is intended to strengthen their case regarding water rights under the treaty.
India Maintains Firm Stand After Pahalgam Terror Attack
India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty after the deadly Pahalgam terror attack in April 2025, stating that cooperation under the agreement cannot continue while cross-border terrorism remains a concern.
The Indian government has said the treaty will remain in abeyance until Pakistan takes credible and irreversible steps to end support for terrorism.
New Delhi has consistently argued that normal bilateral cooperation cannot continue under existing circumstances.
India Says Treaty No Longer Reflects Present-Day Realities
India has also maintained that the treaty, signed in 1960, no longer reflects current geopolitical realities.
During the 62nd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, India’s First Secretary to the UN, Anupama Singh, defended New Delhi’s decision, stating that it was unreasonable for a country accused of sponsoring terrorism to continue expecting the benefits of bilateral cooperation.
India has argued that agreements based on mutual trust and goodwill cannot operate in isolation from changing security conditions.
Tensions Continue to Rise
The Indus Waters Treaty, brokered by the World Bank in 1960, regulates the sharing of water from the Indus river system between the two neighbouring countries. Under the agreement, India controls the eastern rivers—Ravi, Beas and Sutlej—while Pakistan receives the majority of water from the western rivers—Indus, Jhelum and Chenab.
For more than six decades, the treaty survived multiple wars and periods of strained diplomatic relations. However, the current standoff has created one of the most serious challenges to the agreement since it came into force.
Pakistan has repeatedly opposed India’s decision to suspend the treaty, while Indian officials continue to insist that national security concerns and cross-border terrorism have fundamentally changed the circumstances under which the agreement was signed.
The dispute is now expected to remain a major point of contention between the two countries as both sides continue to defend their respective positions through diplomatic and legal channels.
