Islamabad has warned that any attempt by India to deprive Pakistan of its share of water under the Indus Waters Treaty would amount to the “weaponisation of water” and could have serious consequences for regional peace and security.
Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and other Pakistani officials made these remarks at an international seminar on the 1960 World Bank–brokered treaty, which governs water sharing from the Indus River system between the nuclear-armed neighbours India and Pakistan.
The treaty has come under renewed strain after India suspended its participation following the killing of 26 tourists in Indian-controlled Kashmir in April 2025. New Delhi blamed Pakistan-based militants for the attack, a charge Islamabad denied while offering to participate in an independent investigation.
The incident led to one of the sharpest deteriorations in India-Pakistan relations in decades. Both countries downgraded diplomatic and trade ties, closed their main land border crossing, and revoked visas for each other’s nationals. Tensions escalated into tit-for-tat missile strikes in May 2025 before a ceasefire was announced by then US President Donald Trump.
At the seminar, Dar emphasized that water should never be used as a political tool.
Loading comments.