UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan has strongly condemned India’s unilateral suspension of the Indus Water Treaty (IWT), warning that such actions set a dangerous precedent for “resource-based coercion” and threaten regional stability.
Speaking at a UN Security Council (UNSC) session, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, voiced alarm over what he described as the “deliberate weaponisation of shared natural resources.” His remarks came in reference to India’s recent decision to suspend its participation in the six-decade-old water-sharing agreement.
“This move should be of grave concern to every member of this Council and to the international community as a whole,” the ambassador said, according to a statement issued by Pakistan’s Permanent Mission to the UN.
Ambassador Asim reminded the Council that for more than sixty years, the IWT had stood as a “model of cooperation,” ensuring fair and predictable water sharing between Pakistan and India — even during periods of conflict.
“India’s unlawful unilateral decision to suspend this framework undermines both the letter and the spirit of the treaty,” he said. “It threatens fragile ecosystems, disrupts essential data sharing, and endangers millions whose survival depends on the Indus water system for food and energy security.”
He cautioned that such measures not only harm one country but also erode global confidence in international water law. “They set a precedent for resource-driven coercion elsewhere,” he added.
Reaffirming Pakistan’s consistent stance, the envoy said that the IWT contains no provision allowing either party to unilaterally suspend or modify its terms. He urged a swift return to compliance through established mechanisms, calling for “full respect for the treaty and its continued implementation in good faith.”
Beyond the water dispute, Ambassador Asim also drew attention to the broader link between environmental degradation and global security. He called for a “paradigm shift” toward preventive and sustainable peacebuilding, urging the international community to integrate environmental considerations into conflict prevention, peacekeeping, and post-conflict recovery efforts.
He further urged the UNSC to “fulfil its Charter responsibility to address threats to international peace and security at their very inception,” warning that “environmental degradation in conflict is not merely collateral damage, but a catalyst for instability.”
Reiterating Pakistan’s commitment to multilateral cooperation, the envoy pledged Islamabad’s determination to “advance collective action for ecological restoration, uphold international law, and transform shared natural resources into tools of cooperation rather than instruments of division.”
Under the 1960 Indus Water Treaty, three western rivers — the Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab — were allocated to Pakistan, while India received rights over three eastern rivers. In 2023, Pakistan approached the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague to challenge the design of Indian hydropower projects on rivers reserved for Pakistan under the treaty.
India placed the IWT “in abeyance” in April following an attack on tourists in occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam, which New Delhi blamed on Islamabad without evidence. Pakistan denounced the move as an “act of war.”
In June, the PCA ruled that India could not unilaterally suspend the treaty. Later, in August, the court affirmed its jurisdiction and held that India must adhere strictly to the IWT’s technical provisions, directing it to “let flow” the western rivers for Pakistan’s unrestricted use.
Earlier this week, President Asif Ali Zardari also condemned India’s violation of the treaty, warning that the “weaponisation of water” would not be tolerated and could have grave consequences for regional peace.
