ISLAMABAD(National Times)- Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar warned on Thursday of “at least 17” projects by India designed to drastically alter the Indus river system and lend it “tools for hydro-hegemony”.
The deputy prime minister, in a recorded keynote address at a seminar titled “Transboundary Water Resources: A Weaponised Global Common”, said that responsible states act “within established legal frameworks” rather than abandoning them — referring to the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) between Pakistan and India that has been unilaterally suspended by India since May of last year.
“The treaty envisages the peaceful resolution of disputes within its own framework,” he said, highlighting that it survived “three major conflicts and several other challenges” over the decades. He also noted that Pakistan had previously voiced concerns over “certain actions by India” under the treaty.
Dar stated that Pakistan had consistently upheld the values enshrined in the United Nations charter, and remained committed to its principles as well as UN resolutions.
“Consistent with the treaty’s provisions, we sought settlement through international mechanisms and respected decisions that even fell short of our expectations,” he said. “At no stage was the outright unilateral abrogation of the treaty considered a viable course of action by the other side.”
“It is important to underscore that our concerns are not merely based on Indian statements,” the deputy prime minister stressed, stating that India had “followed up its belligerent statements with illegal actions”.
These included projects to create reservoirs, expansion of existing structures and, “most alarmingly”, diversion projects on the Indus, Chenab and Ravi rivers.
“In total, at least 17 such projects that will drastically alter the river system as a whole, giving India the tools for hydro-hegemony that it so desires,” he said.
“River systems are not merely waterways — they are lifelines. They carry profound historical significance and serve as immediate sources of sustenance and survival,” the deputy prime minister noted.
India’s stated policy to intentionally deprive 240 million people of their rightful access to water represented a “catastrophe in the making of unparalleled magnitude”.
Dar stressed that water must never be viewed as an instrument of coercion, as it was “a shared resource, a common responsibility and ultimately a prerequisite for human dignity and sustainable development”.
He expressed the need for the future of trans-boundary water governance to be anchored in cooperation and respect for international law.
The deputy prime minister added that this issue should not be viewed as one confined to South Asia, pointing out that Europe offered compelling examples of how faithfully implementing trans-boundary water agreements enabled states to share water resources cooperatively.
Terming the sanctity of treaties “the bedrock of the international order”, he declared respect for treaty obligations to be not just a regional concern but a “global imperative”.
“Pakistan remains committed to resolving all issues through dialogue, diplomacy and the mechanism provided under international law,” he added. “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.”
Dar said that Pakistan was already disproportionately affected by climate change, pointing out that it remained among the most climate vulnerable countries in the world despite contributing less than one per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
He called for enhanced international cooperation and collaboration on water related issues, expressing the hope that the seminar’s discussions would underscore the importance of cooperation in the management of trans-boundary water resources.
“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 trans-boundary water governance,” he said.
A treaty under strain
The Indus Waters Treaty, brokered by the World Bank in 1960, regulates the distribution of the Indus river system between India and Pakistan. It allocates the eastern rivers — Ravi, Beas and Sutlej — to India, while the western rivers — Indus, Jhelum and Chenab — are largely allocated to Pakistan.
The agreement has long been considered one of the most durable frameworks of cooperation between the two countries, surviving wars and repeated crises. However, it has come under strain since India announced in 2025 that it was placing its treaty obligations in abeyance.
India announced a unilateral suspension of its obligations under the IWT in April last year following an attack on tourists in occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam that killed 26 — an incident New Delhi blamed on Islamabad without evidence. For its part, Pakistan strongly denied the allegations and called for a neutral investigation.
In June 2025, the Permanent Court of Arbitration — an organisation that provides a framework for international disputes — had issued a Supplemental Award of Competence, stating that India could not unilaterally hold the treaty in abeyance.
India has maintained that it will keep the treaty in abeyance until Pakistan ends alleged support for cross-border terrorism — an accusation that Islamabad denies.
New Delhi has also argued that climate change, technological advances, and demographic pressures warrant modifications to the treaty. Pakistan, however, insists the agreement remains fully in force and binding, citing the 2025 Court of Arbitration ruling that reaffirmed its validity.
Pakistan has also urged the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to take up the dispute over the IWT, warning that India’s continued unilateral suspension of the treaty carries “grave peace and security, and humanitarian consequences” for South Asia.
