Says IWT lifeline for 240m people; India to get befitting response if it tried to divert water; Treaty cannot be amended, revoked, suspended or held in abeyance unilaterally; Concerns raised over reported Chenab–Beas link, reopening of low-level outlets at Salal project
Pakistan on Tuesday reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding its water rights under the Indus Waters Treaty, declaring that the agreement is not merely a water-sharing accord but a lifeline for the country’s 240 million people.
The government’s position was outlined during an international seminar titled “Indus Waters Treaty: A Key Instrument of Peace and Regional Stability”, held in Islamabad Convention Centre.
The seminar brought together Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Climate Change Minister Dr Musadik Malik, Indus Waters Commissioner Syed Mehr Ali Shah, Minister of State Khurram Dastgir Khan, international law expert Ahmer Bilal Soofi, delegates from various countries and water experts.
Addressing an conference, Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said that although Pakistan believed in constructive dialogue and implementation on the treaty with complete sincerity, it would give India a befitting response, if the latter tried to stop the flow of water.
He categorically stated that any
change in the treaty could only be made with the consent of Pakistan. “The government has made it clear time and again that Pakistan has complete right over the River Indus, on which the entire population of Pakistan is dependent, and which is the lifeline of the country’s agriculture.”
Tarar said that the treaty signed in 1960 held an important position in international relations. He said that Pakistan would defend the agreement come what may.
Tarar said 240 million people of Pakistan had an “inalienable right” to water from the Indus River System. “When we say that Indus is our lifeline and our people, the 240m people of Pakistan, have an inalienable right to the water of Indus, we mean it, from the core of our heart,” he added.
The Information Minister described the IWT as “an instrument of peace and regional stability”. “Today, we are not merely discussing the treaty. We are discussing the lifeline of nearly 240 million people of Pakistan.”
The minister maintained “When we identify ourselves as Pakistanis, we ask a question as to who we are. And if you go back into history, the Indus water civilisation defines us as a people. Whenever I go abroad, I always tell my counterparts that we are the people of the Indus Valley civilisation. Our identification is that we are people based on the banks and tributaries of the mighty Indus River.”
Tarar said water was life, and the “Indus has given life to Pakistan”. He said the Indus River system had nurtured one of the world’s oldest civilisations for thousands of years. “From the towering peaks of Gilgit-Baltistan to the fertile plains of Punjab and Sindh, these waters have connected our people across geography and history.”
The Minister added that the story of Pakistan was, in many ways, the story of the Indus. It was for this reason that the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 occupied such a “unique place in international relations”, he said and added the treaty was signed under the auspices of the World Bank and had endured wars, political upheavals and prolonged periods of tension.
“Its resilience, for more than six decades, demonstrates an enduring truth that cooperation, dialogue and adherence to international commitments remain the only sustainable path to peace,” Tarar said.
The minister said the IWT stood as a “remarkable example” of the rule-based international order. “It embodies the principle of good faith, the sanctity of agreements and peaceful dispute resolutions. These are not merely legal concepts, but foundations upon which trust is built.” Then, turning his attention to tensions between Pakistan and India over the IWT, he asserted that Pakistan’s civilian and military leadership had made it clear that the people of Pakistan had a right to the water of the Indus and the treaty could not be amended, revoked, suspended or held in abeyance unilaterally.
Tarar pointed out that the treaty came into being after mutual consensus between Pakistan and India and could only be amended or revised with the mutual consensus of the two sides. “India’s failed attempt at unilaterally holding this treaty in abeyance has led to international embarrassment for India at various forums, including legal forums,” he said.
Moreover, he contended that the “moral, social and legal foundations” of any one-sided attempt to hold the IWT in abeyance. “And any structure which has weak foundations will fall flat on its face,” he remarked.
Tarar stressed the need to protect the IWT, especially at a time when climate change was accelerating, glaciers were melting at an unprecedented rate and water scarcity was becoming the defining challenge of the present times.
He said South Asia was home to nearly a quarter of humanity, adding “our collective future depends upon transforming water from a source of contention into a catalyst for cooperation”.
Any attempt to block or stop water, he said, would always fail because water would always find a way. “The weaponization of water or attempts to unilaterally alter established arrangements undermine not only regional peace and stability but also the broader framework of international law. International agreements, as I said, cannot be suspended or disregarded at convenience. Respect for treaties is indispensable for maintaining confidence among nations and preserving the global order,” he emphasised.
Following the Information Minister, Pakistan’s Indus Waters Commissioner, Mehr Ali Shah, addressing the seminar stated that the Indus Waters Treaty was “a conflict prevention system” rather than merely a water-sharing arrangement, warning that attempts to suspend its implementation or weaken its institutions risked undermining regional stability.
Shah said he would not revisit the political, legal or humanitarian aspects discussed by other speakers, but would instead explain “what the treaty requires, what Pakistan has done, and what happens when the routine channels are blocked”.
“This is where the principle meets the practice,” he said. Describing the treaty as central to Pakistan’s national security, Shah said water flow predictability was “not a luxury of planning” but “part of the survival architecture of the state”.
