Dar warns of Indian 'hydro-hegemony', cites 17 projects threatening Indus River System

ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar on Thursday warned that India was pursuing at least 17 projects aimed at drastically altering the Indus River System, cautioning that such actions could provide New Delhi with the means to exercise “hydro-hegemony” in the region.

Addressing a seminar titled “Transboundary Water Resources: A Weaponised Global Common” through a recorded keynote speech, Dar stressed that responsible states resolve disputes within established legal frameworks rather than abandoning them.

Referring to the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), he said the landmark agreement had survived three wars and numerous political challenges since its signing in 1960 and remained a model of peaceful conflict resolution despite longstanding differences between Pakistan and India.

“The treaty envisages the peaceful resolution of disputes within its own framework,” he said, noting that Pakistan had consistently raised concerns through the mechanisms provided under the agreement and had respected international decisions even when they fell short of its expectations.

The deputy prime minister said Pakistan’s concerns were not based solely on rhetoric or political statements from India but on concrete actions that threatened the integrity of the river system.

“These include projects to create reservoirs, expand existing structures and, most alarmingly, diversion projects on the Indus, Chenab and Ravi rivers,” he said.

“In total, at least 17 such projects will drastically alter the river system as a whole, giving India the tools for hydro-hegemony that it so desires,” he added.

Dar warned that river systems were not merely waterways but lifelines that sustain millions of people and hold deep historical, cultural and economic significance.

He described India’s stated policy of restricting water flows as a potential humanitarian disaster, saying that depriving approximately 240 million people of their rightful access to water would amount to “a catastrophe in the making of unparalleled magnitude”.

The foreign minister stressed that water should never be weaponised or used as an instrument of political pressure.

“Water is a shared resource, a common responsibility and ultimately a prerequisite for human dignity and sustainable development,” he said.

Highlighting Pakistan’s commitment to international law, Dar reaffirmed that Islamabad remained dedicated to resolving all outstanding issues through dialogue, diplomacy and the mechanisms provided under existing treaties and legal frameworks.

“Our position is guided not by confrontation, but by the conviction that lasting solutions can only emerge through cooperation and respect for mutually agreed obligations,” he said.

The deputy prime minister underscored the importance of preserving the sanctity of international agreements, describing respect for treaty obligations as the foundation of the global order.

He also drew attention to successful examples of transboundary water cooperation in Europe, where countries have managed shared water resources through mutual understanding and adherence to legal commitments.

Quoting former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Dar noted that water disputes were often rooted in governance and management challenges rather than absolute scarcity and that shared waters should serve as a pathway to peace and regional integration rather than conflict.

The foreign minister further highlighted Pakistan’s vulnerability to climate change, noting that despite contributing less than one per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, the country remains among the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations.

He called for enhanced international cooperation on water management and climate resilience, expressing hope that the seminar would reinforce the importance of collaborative approaches to transboundary water governance.

“Let us reaffirm today that shared waters should unite nations rather than divide them, and that cooperation — not coercion — must remain the guiding principle of transboundary water governance,” he said.

The Indus Waters Treaty, brokered by the World Bank in 1960, governs the distribution of the Indus basin rivers between Pakistan and India. While the eastern rivers — Ravi, Beas and Sutlej — are allocated to India, the western rivers — Indus, Jhelum and Chenab — are largely reserved for Pakistan.

The treaty has come under increasing strain since India announced the suspension of its obligations under the agreement following the April 2025 Pahalgam incident in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, an accusation Pakistan has rejected while calling for an independent investigation.

Pakistan maintains that the treaty remains legally binding and has urged the international community, including the United Nations Security Council, to address the issue, warning that any prolonged disruption to the agreement could have serious humanitarian, environmental and security implications for the region.