{"id":65358,"date":"2026-06-30T10:35:46","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T10:35:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/?p=65358"},"modified":"2026-07-01T21:39:35","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T21:39:35","slug":"indias-abrogation-of-indus-water-treaty-will-not-affect-pakistan-only-but-all-downstream-countries-islamabad-conference-warns-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/indias-abrogation-of-indus-water-treaty-will-not-affect-pakistan-only-but-all-downstream-countries-islamabad-conference-warns-the-world\/","title":{"rendered":"India’s Abrogation of Indus Water Treaty will not Affect Pakistan only but All Downstream Countries : Islamabad Conference Warns the World"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Tazeen Akhtar<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Pakistan has made it clear that International Arbitration Court has declared that India cannot build water reservoirs on the waters of Pakistan’s share, if the Indus Waters Treaty fails, its effects will not be limited to Pakistan alone, but will threaten every country in the world that depends on the upper and lower river systems, India is not only obstructing the flow of our water but also the third largest polluter in the world, under the Indus Waters Treaty, India cannot unilaterally divert water.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

This was stated by DPM\/FM Ishaq Dar, Minister Information Ata Ullah Tarar, Minister Climate Change Dr. Musadik Malik, Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Chairperson Foreign Affairs Standing Committee Hina Rabbani Khar both are former Foreign Ministers in the first ever conference on Water security hosted by Pakistan in Islamabad.<\/p>\n

Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, former federal minister Khurram Dastgir, former president National Defense University Lieutenant General (retd) Aamir Riaz, President of the Institute of Regional Studies Ambassador Johar Saleem, former federal law minister Ahmed Bilal Sufi, Indus Water Treaty Commissioner Syed Mehr Ali Shah and international water experts were also present.<\/p>\n

DPM\/ FM Ishaq Dar, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Mr. Khurram Dastgir Khan, Ms. Hina Rabbani Khar also briefed the participants on the issue and expressed their views on the case in light of Pakistani perspective.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Minister Information Ata Ullah Tarar\u00a0<\/strong> inaugurated the conference, who described the Indus Waters Treaty as an enduring instrument of peace and regional stability and stressed that the Treaty cannot be altered, suspended, or revoked unilaterally.<\/div>\n
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Deputy Prime Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar <\/strong>, who emphasized that water must never be weaponized and reaffirmed Pakistan\u2019s commitment to international law, treaty obligations, and peaceful dispute resolution. He highlighted the importance of protecting transboundary water cooperation for regional peace and stability.<\/div>\n
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He asserted that the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) remains \u201cvalid, binding and operative\u201d, as Islamabad stepped up its diplomatic campaign against India\u2019s decision to keep the decades-old water-sharing pact in abeyance.<\/div>\n
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Dar described the IWT as a vital framework for regional peace and urged that shared waters should never be \u201cweaponised\u201d. Pakistan also sought to reinforce its legal position, maintaining that any attempt to deprive it of its rights under the treaty would have serious implications for regional stability.<\/div>\n
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Bilawal Bhutto Zardari\u00a0<\/strong> highlighted the strategic significance of the Indus River system, describing it as comparable to some of the world\u2019s most important geopolitical chokepoints. He stressed that water should never be used as a tool of coercion or political pressure.
\nHe argued that the Indus Waters Treaty is a binding international agreement brokered by the World Bank and cannot be suspended unilaterally. According to his remarks, the Indus River is Pakistan\u2019s lifeline\u2014supporting agriculture, livelihoods, food security, and millions of people across the country.<\/div>\n
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Bilawal Bhutto further emphasized that any attempt to restrict water flows or alter infrastructure affecting the Indus basin should be treated as a national security concern. While reaffirming Pakistan\u2019s commitment to peace, he called on the international community to uphold treaty-based water rights, respect international agreements, and help prevent further regional escalation.<\/div>\n
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From Moscow, Dr. Roxolana Zig\u00f3n<\/strong> shared valuable international perspectives on peace, regional stability and humanitarian security.<\/div>\n
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From Beijing, Dr. Victor Gao<\/strong> insightfully reflected on the Treaty\u2019s stabilising influence in one of the world\u2019s most strategically significant regions. According to PTV, he said, India\u2019s water diversion threats a \u201ccrime against humanity\u201d and China stands with Pakistan in this regard.<\/div>\n
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\u201d No one in this part of the world should second-guess China\u2019s commitment to defending Pakistan\u2019s fundamental interests, especially its sovereignty and territorial integrity. In the context of our meeting today, this also includes the Pakistani people\u2019s right to the free flow of water in the Indus River, Chinese scholar shared.<\/div>\n
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The Indus Water Treaty is one of the strongest treaties in the world, the problem is not the lack of availability or flow of water, but control, Pakistan faced devastating floods, this is not an environmental problem, it is a matter of justice, the livelihood of a large section of the population in Pakistan is agriculture which is related to water.<\/div>\n
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Due to water scarcity, farmers in Pakistan are being forced to abandon agriculture, while its effects are not limited to Pakistan alone, but also affect other low-lying countries including Bangladesh.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\"\"Be it the Nile River, the Euphrates River or the Indus River, water-related challenges are similar in different regions of the world, so this problem is not just of one country but of global importance.<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Sometimes India releases very little water at the Marala Head Works and sometimes there is a sudden flash flood, which makes it clear that the real problem is not climate change but control over the flow of water. Using water as a weapon is a dangerous trend for the peace and stability of the region.<\/p>\n

Due to Indian actions, six thousand people have lost their lives in Pakistan and thousands have been injured, while such a huge human cost is not seen even in many wars.<\/p>\n

The Indus Waters Treaty is considered one of the strongest international treaties in the world and it has survived despite three wars between Pakistan and India. If even such a strong treaty cannot survive, then no international treaty in the world will be safe.<\/p>\n

The International Court of Arbitration has declared that no country can unilaterally suspend or terminate the Indus Waters Treaty, nor can it divert the flow of rivers in Pakistan\u2019s share, nor can it build reservoirs on these rivers that violate the treaty.<\/p>\n

Dushanbe Water Process ; Shared Resolve, Joint Efforts to Save Water – by Tazeen Akhtar from Pakistan<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n