Pakistan Warns India's Attempts to Restrict Water Flow Threaten South Asian Peace

Pakistan warned on Thursday that any attempt by India to restrict water flows under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) would jeopardise regional stability and carry serious consequences. Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi stated that any effort to curtail water vital to the livelihoods of millions of Pakistanis would be a “highly irresponsible act” threatening peace in South Asia and beyond. He added that the responsibility for such a threat to international peace and security would rest entirely with India. “Pakistan’s rights and interests regarding its water resources are non-negotiable. We will vigorously defend them through all diplomatic, legal, political, economic, and other means consistent with international law under the UN Charter,” Andrabi told reporters in Islamabad. “Any such action will be treated with the utmost seriousness and may be considered an act of war under Article 51 of the UN Charter.” He cautioned that any deliberate attempt to block water essential for Pakistan’s survival and development would be “an extremely serious act with far-reaching consequences.” The remarks came after Indian Water Minister CR Patil said in an interview that New Delhi was working to ensure that “not a single drop of water” would flow to Pakistan in the coming years. “I believe this work is on schedule, and the flow of Indus water to Pakistan will stop, as I can say. It is certain—not a single drop will flow in a few years; I can tell you that much…,” he said. The Indus Waters Treaty governs the use of six rivers originating in India and flowing into Pakistan, providing water for hundreds of millions of people across the Indus basin. In April last year, New Delhi suspended the IWT following an attack in Pahalgam, Indian-administered Kashmir, that killed 26 people, blaming Islamabad for the incident. Pakistan rejected the claim and said any attempt to suspend its share of water would be considered an “act of war,” noting that the treaty cannot be unilaterally suspended. The two countries subsequently engaged in four days of cross-border armed clashes in May before US President Donald Trump brokered a ceasefire. Last month, the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration reaffirmed key limitations on India’s ability to control water flows in the Western Rivers. The IWT divides the six rivers of the Indus Basin between the two nations. While India receives the three eastern rivers—the Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi—Pakistan is given control over the three western rivers: the Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab. Pakistan says India’s planned hydropower dams will reduce flows in the river system that supplies 80 percent of the country’s agricultural irrigation.