DOHA: President Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday warned that India’s violation of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) and attempts to weaponise water would not succeed, describing them as an existential threat to Pakistan’s people and regional stability.
Addressing the Second World Summit for Social Development in Doha, Qatar, Zardari said that Pakistan was simultaneously confronting the devastating consequences of climate change and an emerging challenge in the form of India’s unilateral actions over water.
“On one hand, we face the brunt of climate change, which has caused immense suffering for our people through large-scale floods,” the president said. “On the other, we are being threatened from across the border with a new danger, the weaponisation of water. The violation of the Indus Waters Treaty poses a serious threat to 240 million Pakistanis. Such tactics cannot and will not succeed.”
He said water was a shared human right and could never be used as a political weapon. “Water belongs to all humanity,” he added, urging the international community to ensure that natural resources remained instruments of cooperation rather than conflict.
In April, India had placed the IWT “in abeyance” following an attack in occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam that killed 26 people — an incident New Delhi blamed on Pakistan without evidence. Islamabad termed the move an “act of war,” arguing that the 1960 treaty contains no clause permitting unilateral suspension or withdrawal. Pakistan has since said it is considering legal action, citing the 1969 Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties.
The dispute returned to the spotlight in June when the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague ruled that India could not unilaterally hold the treaty in abeyance. The court reiterated that both countries remained bound by its provisions and that India must comply with treaty mechanisms for resolving disputes. India, however, dismissed the court’s jurisdiction and said it did not recognise the rulings.
The court later reaffirmed its position in August while hearing Pakistan’s challenge to the design of Indian hydropower projects on rivers allocated to Pakistan under the IWT. The tribunal concluded that the treaty “does not permit India to generate hydroelectric power on the Western Rivers” based on its own engineering preferences.
Instead, India must “strictly adhere” to the specifications detailed in the treaty and “let flow” the waters for Pakistan’s unrestricted use.
Signed in 1960 with the World Bank as guarantor, the IWT divided six rivers of the Indus Basin between the two neighbours — granting Pakistan control of the western rivers (Indus, Jhelum and Chenab) and India control of the eastern rivers (Ravi, Beas and Sutlej).
Despite decades of tension, the treaty had endured as a rare example of cooperation until recent years, when Indian hydropower projects began to raise concerns in Islamabad about long-term water security.
President Zardari said India’s latest steps risked destabilising the region further at a time when both nations should be focusing on climate adaptation and sustainable growth. “Pakistan will continue to defend its water rights under international law,” he said, adding that Islamabad viewed any violation as a challenge to both peace and environmental justice.
At the summit, the president also reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to inclusive development, social justice and global solidarity. He endorsed the Doha Political Declaration, saying its principles aligned with Pakistan’s development vision.
“Pakistan remains steadfast in placing people at the centre of its policies,” Zardari said. “Our goal is to eradicate poverty, ensure equality, and uphold human dignity.”
Highlighting Pakistan’s progress, he cited the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) as one of the world’s leading social protection initiatives, empowering over nine million families through income assistance, healthcare and education. He said Pakistan aimed to raise literacy to 90 per cent within five years and ensure that every child attended school.
The president also outlined initiatives such as the National Youth Internship Programme and green housing projects that promote climate resilience through nature-based solutions, including mangrove restoration. “We must rise above differences and embark on a path of compassion and progress for all,” he said.
Zardari urged the global community to unite around three core principles, dignity, equality and solidarity — calling for financial reforms, debt relief for developing countries, and equitable taxation. He also condemned what he described as “genocide and apartheid” in Palestine, calling for an immediate end to mass suffering and reaffirming Pakistan’s unwavering support for a sovereign Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
The president reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to the people of Indian-administered Kashmir, linking their struggle for self-determination to that of the Palestinians. “Both represent humanity’s collective demand for justice,” he said.
Later, in a meeting with UN Secretary General António Guterres, President Zardari reaffirmed Pakistan’s support for multilateralism and the central role of the UN in promoting global peace and equity. He raised the issue of the Kashmir dispute, calling it one of the oldest unresolved items on the Security Council’s agenda, and urged the implementation of relevant UN resolutions.
The UN chief appreciated Pakistan’s longstanding contributions to peacekeeping missions and expressed solidarity with the country in its counterterrorism efforts.
Separately, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari also met the UN secretary general, drawing his attention to India’s “weaponisation of water.” He accused India of unilaterally suspending the water-sharing arrangement, halting data exchange on river flows and causing “man-made disasters” downstream in Pakistan.
Bilawal said such actions violated international law and undermined decades of cooperative water management, calling for the UN to take notice.
President Zardari also held bilateral meetings with his Iraqi and Tajik counterparts on the sidelines of the summit.
In talks with Iraqi President Dr Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid, the two leaders reviewed the full spectrum of bilateral ties and reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen cooperation in trade, energy and people-to-people exchanges. Zardari thanked Iraq for facilitating Pakistani pilgrims and acknowledged the positive role of the Pakistani diaspora. He accepted an invitation to visit Baghdad after Iraq’s upcoming parliamentary elections.
In his meeting with Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, Zardari emphasised Pakistan’s commitment to deepening ties with Central Asia, citing shared history and culture. He praised the resumption of work on the CASA-1000 energy project and invited Tajikistan to explore new trade and connectivity routes through Pakistan, including the restoration of direct flights.
The president also commended the success of the Dosti-II joint military exercise held earlier this year and reaffirmed Islamabad’s readiness to enhance defence and capacity-building cooperation with Dushanbe.
Both leaders agreed to maintain regular high-level contact to advance their strategic partnership and regional collaboration.
