ISLAMABAD, July 1 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar here on Tuesday warned against any unilateral attempt to alter or undermine the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), saying such actions would violate international law and threaten regional peace.
Addressing an international seminar titled Indus Waters Treaty: An Instrument of Peace and Regional Stability, the deputy prime minister said Pakistan remained firmly committed to the treaty and would safeguard its water rights through all available legal means.
"The weaponization of shared waters and the breach of binding international treaties set dangerous precedents, dent national credibility and erode the foundations of interstate cooperation," Dar said.
Dar described water as a matter of national survival for Pakistan, noting that the country's agriculture, food security, energy production and economic development depend on the uninterrupted flow of the western rivers allocated to Pakistan under the treaty.
The deputy prime minister urged India to avoid confrontation and instead resolve outstanding disputes through dialogue and treaty-based mechanisms, stressing that lasting peace in South Asia could only be achieved through mutual respect, sovereign equality and faithful implementation of international obligations.
Signed in 1960, the Indus Waters Treaty governs the sharing of water from the Indus River system and its tributaries between India and Pakistan.
India unilaterally suspended the treaty in April 2025 following an attack in Indian-controlled Kashmir that killed at least 25 tourists. New Delhi accused Pakistan of involvement in the incident, an allegation Islamabad has categorically denied.
On the occasion, Pakistan's Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar said the treaty is not merely a technical arrangement for water distribution but a cornerstone of regional stability and confidence-building.
The seminar brought together diplomats, legal experts, water specialists and academics from Pakistan and abroad to examine the significance of the treaty in maintaining regional peace and sustainable water governance. ■
