Pakistan Warns UN of ‘Weaponisation of Water’ as India Moves on Indus Waters Treaty

Pakistan has issued a strong warning at the United Nations, accusing India of “weaponising water” by taking unilateral steps affecting the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) — a move Islamabad says threatens its national water security and regional stability.

Addressing a UN forum, Pakistan’s representative stressed that the 1960 World Bank-brokered Indus Waters Treaty remains legally binding and contains no provision for unilateral suspension or alteration. Any attempt to place the treaty in abeyance, Pakistan warned, amounts to a violation of international law and undermines decades of cooperative water management.

The Indus river system supplies over 80 percent of Pakistan’s agricultural water needs, supporting food production, power generation, and the livelihoods of millions. Officials cautioned that disruptions in river flows or the withholding of hydrological data could have devastating consequences, including food shortages, economic strain, and humanitarian challenges — especially as Pakistan battles climate change, floods, and prolonged droughts.

Islamabad urged the UN and the global community to recognise water insecurity as an escalating international risk and to prevent shared rivers from becoming tools of political pressure. Pakistan emphasised that transboundary water agreements like the IWT have historically survived wars and diplomatic crises, serving as vital confidence-building mechanisms in South Asia.

Warning of a dangerous global precedent, Pakistan called for strict adherence to treaties, transparency in river management, and peaceful dispute resolution to avoid turning water into a source of conflict.

Publish Credit: chatzyr.net