BRUSSELS – Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said India’s “illegal and unilateral” suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) poses a direct threat to regional peace and stability.
His statement comes after New Delhi abruptly revoked decades-old treaty after staging the Pahalgam incident in occupied Kashmir.
Dar responded sharply, branding any attempt to choke its water supply an “act of war”, saying IWT contains no clause allowing unilateral suspension. Pakistan since announced it is exploring legal action under the 1969 Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties.
Standing before EU diplomats in Belgium’s capital, Dar warned that water remains most essential resource in the subcontinent and must never be weaponised. But the foreign minister did not stop there. In a sweeping tour of the region’s most volatile flashpoints, Dar declared that South Asia can never know lasting peace until the long-standing Jammu and Kashmir dispute is resolved in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions and the will of the Kashmiri people.
Turning to Afghanistan, Dar termed neighbouring state as “consequential” for Pakistan and regional order, but admitted that relations have sharply deteriorated. TTP’s cross-border terrorism remains the biggest sticking point as Islamabad repeatedly demanded Kabul rein in militants operating from Afghan soil.
Dar reiterated Islamabad’s expectations clearly that the state wants a peaceful, stable, friendly and economically connected Afghanistan, but insists Taliban administration must act responsibly, honour its promises, and eliminate terrorist networks.
He praised efforts led by President Trump and eight Arab and Islamic nations — including Pakistan — that resulted in the Sharm el-Sheikh peace agreement and a ceasefire.
Dar demanded an immediate end to the ongoing atrocities in Gaza, the violations of the agreement, and the illegal occupation of Palestinian territories. Pakistan, he stressed, supports a time-bound international process to establish an independent and sovereign Palestinian state on pre-1967 borders with al-Quds al-Sharif as its capital.
Ishaq Dar heads to Brussels in major boost to Pakistan-EU Strategic Ties
