Pakistan urges India to resolve disputes through dialogue, warns against Indus treaty violations

ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Tuesday called on India to address all outstanding issues with Pakistan through dialogue and diplomacy, while warning against any breach of the Indus Waters Treaty during an international seminar in Islamabad.

Dar said Pakistan was prepared to engage sincerely on all issues and reiterated Islamabad’s support for a composite dialogue process. Referring to the need for reciprocal willingness, he said "We in all sincerity are ready to talk on all issues, but we call for composite dialogue, but it takes two to tango".

He also said lasting peace could only be achieved through mutual respect and recognition of state sovereignty, and warned that depriving Pakistan of its water rights would have serious consequences. Dar said India’s move to hold the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance came after the killing of 26 people in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir in April 2025. New Delhi accused Islamabad of being behind the attack, an allegation Pakistan denied.

Addressing the broader implications of treaty violations, Dar said the costs of undermining an international river agreement could be severe and were not confined to the two countries involved. He said such conduct set a dangerous precedent in international relations and harmed the credibility of states. He also criticised India’s domestic political direction, saying even sports had come under what he described as a Hindutva approach, and referred to recent elections in Bihar, claiming 40 million people had been disenfranchised.

Pakistan says treaty changes require mutual consent

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar told the same seminar that Pakistan’s leadership was prepared to respond effectively to any attempt to block the country’s water, and said Islamabad would protect the sanctity of the Indus Waters Treaty in all circumstances.

Tarar described the 1960 treaty as one of the world’s longest-standing water-sharing arrangements and said it held a distinctive place in international relations. He said water should not be used as a weapon, calling such a course harmful to regional and global peace and stability. Emphasising the treaty’s significance for Pakistan, he said "We are not merely discussing a treaty, but the lifeline of 240 million people".

The minister said Pakistan had consistently upheld peaceful relations, constructive engagement and sincere implementation of international commitments. He added that the treaty had been concluded more than six decades ago through mutual consent and any amendment to it could only be made by agreement between both sides. According to Tarar, India’s unilateral suspension of the treaty had caused embarrassment for New Delhi at international forums.

Commissioner alleges non-compliance since August 2023

Pakistan’s Commissioner for the Indus Waters Treaty, Syed Mehr Ali Shah, said India had not been complying with the agreement since August 2023. He said a letter had been sent to India a day earlier seeking data-sharing under the treaty.

Shah said India’s unilateral suspension of the treaty was entirely illegal and amounted to a clear breach of the agreement. He alleged that India was diverting water from the Chenab river, affecting the flow of 1.9 million gallons of water. He further said India could not divert Chenab waters into the Beas river under the treaty and that the Chenab-Beas link being built by India was completely illegal. He added that India was bound under the treaty to allow Pakistan to inspect the link.

Seminar hears concerns over regional stability

Russian expert Dr Roxolana Zigon said India’s statement about denying Pakistan water in the coming years was in violation of international law. She described the Indus Waters Treaty as the basis for fair water sharing in the region and said it was widely regarded as one of the most successful agreements of its kind.

She said the treaty had enabled water cooperation between Pakistan and India for more than six decades despite tensions between the two countries and added that it contained no clause allowing unilateral withdrawal. Dr Zigon said more than 90% of Pakistan’s agriculture depended on river water, while 21 major hydropower projects were linked to the Indus river system. She also said almost the entire population of Pakistan was connected to the Indus basin in one way or another.

According to Dr Zigon, India’s construction of dams in upstream areas could heighten instability in the region. She accused New Delhi of trying to use water as a weapon and said its unilateral policies were weakening international trust. She described the Permanent Indus Commission as an important and effective dispute-resolution mechanism and said preserving the treaty was essential for peace and stability in South Asia.

The seminar took place against the backdrop of heightened tensions after India, on what Pakistan called baseless allegations, launched a war against Pakistan in May 2025. The fighting, described as the heaviest between the two neighbours in decades, ended with a US-brokered ceasefire. During the 87-hour conflict, Pakistan said it had shot down eight Indian fighter jets, including French-made Rafale aircraft, as well as dozens of drones.