Pakistan warns India against 'water aggression', urges respect for Indus Waters Treaty

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination Dr Musadik Malik on Tuesday issued a strong warning against what he termed “water aggression” and attempts to undermine international water-sharing agreements, urging India to fully respect the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) of 1960.

Addressing the Fourth High-Level International Conference on the International Decade for Action “Water for Sustainable Development” (2018–2028) in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, the minister cautioned that unilateral actions targeting transboundary rivers could trigger serious global challenges related to water security, food production and climate resilience.

Dr Malik accused India of politicising shared water resources in violation of longstanding international commitments and warned that efforts to weaken international water-sharing frameworks could jeopardise the rights of downstream countries across the world.

“Water aggression is unacceptable,” the minister declared, stressing that no country should be allowed to use water as a weapon or suspend international treaties unilaterally while depriving other nations of their legitimate water rights.

He urged India to honour the Indus Waters Treaty and respect international mediation mechanisms, warning that any move to place the treaty in abeyance would establish a dangerous precedent for downstream nations globally.

Brokered by the World Bank in 1960, the Indus Waters Treaty allocates the western rivers — Indus, Jhelum and Chenab — to Pakistan, while the eastern rivers — Ravi, Beas and Sutlej — are allocated to India.

The minister’s remarks come amid heightened tensions following India’s unilateral announcement in April 2025 suspending its obligations under the treaty after the Pahalgam incident in occupied Kashmir, in which 26 tourists were killed. New Delhi blamed Islamabad for the attack without presenting evidence.

Pakistan rejected India’s move, describing any attempt to suspend its water share as an “act of war” and maintaining that the treaty contains no provision allowing unilateral suspension.

Dr Malik also referred to a recent supplemental award by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), which upheld Pakistan’s legal position on the treaty and imposed “substantive limits” on India’s capacity to control water flows on the western rivers of the Indus basin.

However, India subsequently rejected the PCA ruling.

Expressing concern over the weakening of multilateralism in global affairs, Dr Malik warned that cooperative international frameworks were increasingly being replaced by unilateral approaches, creating opportunities for upstream states to pressure vulnerable downstream countries by restricting access to shared water resources.

Calling access to clean water a fundamental human right, the minister stressed that farmers and rural communities in developing countries remained particularly vulnerable to disruptions in water supply.

He also highlighted Pakistan’s escalating climate challenges, noting that the country remained among the states most severely affected by global warming.

“Recurrent floods and extreme weather events have devastated infrastructure, damaged agricultural lands and disrupted livelihoods across Pakistan,” he said, warning that increasingly frequent super floods were intensifying economic pressures and worsening food security concerns through declining agricultural productivity.

During the conference, Dr Malik emphasised the urgent need for regional cooperation on glacial melt and ecosystem preservation.

He noted that Pakistan and Tajikistan each host nearly 13,000 glaciers but have already lost around 1,000 glaciers due to rising global temperatures.

The minister called for stronger cross-border coordination to monitor shrinking glaciers, preserve shared ecosystems and enhance regional climate cooperation, including wildlife conservation initiatives.

Concluding his address, Dr Malik urged the international community to strengthen enforcement mechanisms for global water-sharing agreements, saying compliance with transboundary water treaties remained one of the world’s major unresolved challenges.

The Dushanbe conference is being viewed as an important preparatory platform ahead of the upcoming United Nations Water Conference, where governments are expected to address mounting concerns over climate change, transboundary water governance and global water security.