Pakistan takes Indus Waters Treaty row to global conference, issues warning

Pakistan raises Indus Waters Treaty issue at global conference, warns of fallout

Pakistan on Tuesday used an international conference to step up its campaign against India’s decision to keep the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in abeyance, warning that weakening the decades-old agreement could undermine the global rules-based order.

India suspended the 1960 treaty after the April 2025 terror attack in Pahalgam, saying cross-border terrorism and bilateral cooperation could not go hand in hand. Pakistan, whose agriculture and hydropower sectors rely heavily on the Indus river system, has since repeatedly sought international attention over the issue.

Addressing the conference, Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar described the IWT as “not merely a water-sharing arrangement but a vital instrument of regional peace, stability, and cooperation.”

He also cautioned that any attempt to deprive Pakistan of its rights under the treaty would have “profound consequences” for regional peace and security.

In a post on X after the event, Dar said, “Shared waters must never be weaponised. They must remain a bridge between nations, guided by cooperation, dialogue, and respect for international law.”

The conference, titled Indus Waters Treaty as an Enduring Legal and Institutional Framework, brought together Pakistani and international experts on water governance and international law. Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar described it as the country’s first international seminar dedicated to the treaty.

Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said the treaty was “never a favour to Pakistan,” while Senator Musadik Malik argued that its suspension could have implications beyond South Asia. “The Indus Waters Treaty has witnessed three wars between the two nuclear powers. If this treaty doesn’t hold, no world order that is on paper post World War II will remain secure,” Malik said.

Without naming India, he questioned the credibility of international agreements if a “powerful country” could unilaterally place a treaty in abeyance.

India put the Indus Waters Treaty on hold after the April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 civilians were killed. New Delhi said the agreement could not remain insulated from cross-border terrorism and made future cooperation contingent on Pakistan taking credible and irreversible action against terror groups operating from its territory.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had then asserted that “blood and water cannot flow together,” signalling a tougher approach towards the treaty.

Following the decision, India accelerated work on hydropower and water infrastructure projects on the western rivers, while maintaining that the treaty will remain in abeyance until Pakistan ends support for cross-border terrorism.