Pakistan warns India's suspension of Indus Waters Treaty threatens regional stability

Pakistan has warned that any attempt by India to deny it its share of water under the Indus Waters Treaty would amount to the "weaponisation of water" and could pose a serious threat to regional peace and security.

The warning was delivered by Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and other government officials during an international seminar on the 1960 World Bank-brokered Indus Waters Treaty, which governs the sharing of water from the Indus River system between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

The treaty has come under renewed pressure after India suspended its participation following the killing of 26 tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir in April. New Delhi blamed Pakistan-based militants for the attack, an allegation Islamabad rejected while offering to participate in an independent investigation.

The incident triggered one of the sharpest deteriorations in India-Pakistan relations in decades. Both countries downgraded diplomatic and trade ties, closed their main land border crossing and revoked visas for each other's citizens.

Tensions escalated further in May 2025 with reciprocal missile strikes before a ceasefire was announced by U.S. President Donald Trump. Relations between the two countries have remained strained since then.

Addressing the seminar, Dar said water should never be used as a political instrument.

"Shared waters must never be weaponised. They should remain a bridge between nations, guided by cooperation, dialogue, and respect for international law for the benefit of present and future generations," he said.

He described water as essential to human dignity, food security, economic development and environmental sustainability, arguing that rivers shared across borders should promote cooperation rather than conflict.

Dar also criticised India's decision to suspend the treaty, calling the move unlawful and insisting that the agreement remains legally binding.

"No party can unilaterally suspend or terminate obligations under a treaty that contains no such provision," he said, adding that international agreements should be implemented in good faith.

The foreign minister reiterated Pakistan's position that any attempt to divert, interrupt or reduce the flow of water allocated to Pakistan under the treaty would be regarded as an "act of war," referring to a decision adopted by the country's National Security Committee after India announced the suspension.

Brokered by the World Bank and signed in 1960, the Indus Waters Treaty regulates the distribution of water from the Indus River system between India and Pakistan.

By Sabina Mammaldi