Pakistan urges India to uphold Indus Waters Treaty, warns against violations
Dushanbe : Pakistan has urged India to respect the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), warning that New Delhi’s repeated violations of the agreement are detrimental to bilateral relations and regional stability.
According to Kashmir Media Service, addressing a high-level international water conference in Tajikistan’s capital Dushanbe, Pakistan’s Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination Musadik Malik also said that India was attempting to politicise the shared water resources.
He warned that unilateral actions affecting transboundary rivers could create serious global challenges related to water security, food production and climate resilience.
The minister urged India to respect the IWT and adhere to international mediation mechanisms, cautioning that any attempt to place the treaty in abeyance would set a dangerous precedent for downstream countries around the world.
A day after the Pahalgam attack on April 22 last year, India took a series of unilateral measures against Pakistan that included putting the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 in abeyance.
Pakistan rejected India’s move and said any attempt to stop the flow of water belonging to Pakistan under the treaty will be seen as an act of war.
In his address, Dr Musadik Malik also highlighted Pakistan’s growing climate vulnerabilities, noting that despite contributing less than one percent to global carbon emissions, the country remains among those most severely affected by climate change.
He said recurrent floods and extreme weather events have devastated infrastructure, damaged agricultural lands and disrupted livelihoods across Pakistan, underscoring the urgent need for collective global action to effectively address the growing challenges posed by climate change.
