Pakistan has once again warned India over the ongoing dispute surrounding the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT). Pakistan’s Climate Change Minister Musadik Malik said the country would strongly respond if its share of water under the treaty was affected.
Speaking at a joint press conference with Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Malik accused India of trying to control Pakistan’s water supply.
He claimed that India was trying to stop water flowing into Pakistan and warned that Pakistan would protect its water rights. He also said Pakistan would not allow any interference in the water allocated to it under the treaty.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the Indus Waters Treaty is still legally valid and cannot be suspended or changed by one country alone. He claimed that Pakistan’s stand on the treaty has received support at the international level.
Tarar said Pakistan considers water a matter of national security. He added that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir have repeatedly described water as Pakistan’s “lifeline” and a “red line.”
Pakistan also announced that it will host an international seminar on the Indus Waters Treaty in Islamabad on Tuesday. According to the government, legal experts, water specialists and foreign delegates will discuss the treaty and Pakistan’s legal rights.
The Indus Waters Treaty was signed in 1960 with the help of the World Bank. Under the agreement, India controls the eastern rivers — Ravi, Beas and Sutlej — while Pakistan receives most of the water from the western rivers — Indus, Jhelum and Chenab.
The dispute has grown after India placed the treaty in abeyance following the 2025 Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 people were killed. India blamed Pakistan-backed terrorists for the attack and said the treaty would remain in abeyance until Pakistan takes credible and irreversible action against cross-border terrorism. Pakistan has denied the allegations.
Earlier, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif also warned that the country could consider military action if its water security was threatened.
India has defended its decision, saying the treaty no longer reflects present-day realities. At the United Nations Human Rights Council, India’s First Secretary to the UN, Anupama Singh, said it was unreasonable for a country accused of supporting terrorism to expect continued cooperation under the treaty.
She also said that an agreement signed in 1960 cannot remain unchanged without considering the major developments of the past six decades.
India has repeatedly maintained that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of the country and has accused Pakistan of using international forums to divert attention from terrorism and its internal challenges.
