NA panel warns India against violations of Indus Waters Treaty

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Water Resources on Wednesday warned that any water aggression by India under the pretext of suspending the Indus Waters Treaty would be deemed an act of war, vowing that Pakistan would use all means at its disposal to prevent treaty violations.

The committee expressed its firm resolve to defend Pakistan’s water rights and said that unilateral actions by New Delhi concerning the treaty would be unacceptable.

Federal Water Resources Minister Moeen Wattoo called the move a direct assault on Pakistan’s agriculture and national security, as officials revealed India has refused to engage under the treaty’s dispute resolution mechanism for over two years. “India has not only tried to harm Pakistan’s water resources, but its agricultural base and survival,” Wattoo said. “This is nothing short of water aggression.”

The National Assembly’s Water Resources Committee that met here with MNA Ahmad Atteeq Anwer in the chair, alarmed by abrupt fluctuations in Chenab’s flow attributed to India’s Baglihar Dam, discussed invoking international arbitration, raising the issue at global diplomatic forums, and even contemplating force as a last resort. “This treaty is tied to Pakistan’s survival,” officials said, reaffirming that the 1960 agreement — ensuring Pakistan’s rights over the Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab rivers — cannot be suspended or altered unilaterally.

Water Resources Secretary Syed Ali Murtaza told the panel that India has refused to hold a meeting of Indus Water Commissioners for over two years, violating the treaty’s dispute resolution clause. He said India’s recent claim that the treaty is “held in abeyance” is baseless and legally void. Murtaza reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to the Indus Waters Treaty, saying it remains intact and cannot be unilaterally suspended or breached. He added that Pakistan’s Indus Water Commissioner has already raised concerns over India’s manipulation of river flows through the Baglihar Dam.

Indus Water Commissioner Mehar Ali Shah said sudden, unexplained surges in Chenab River flows in early May point to deliberate tampering by India, warning such actions could be seen as a declaration of war. He said Pakistan is gathering technical evidence to present at international forums. Shah reaffirmed that Pakistan’s rights over the western rivers — Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab — are non-negotiable and India cannot exceed the 3.6 million acre-feet storage limit set for power generation under the treaty.