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Islamabad:The Pakistan Foreign Office on Thursday warned that any deliberate attempt to block water essential to Pakistan\u2019s survival and development would have \u201cfar-reaching consequences\u201d.According to Kashmir Media Service, FO Spokesperson Tahir Andrabi during a weekly media briefing while responding to a question about recent remarks by the Indian water minister said, \u201cAny such act would be treated with utmost seriousness and could possibly amount to an act of war under Article 51 of the UN Charter.\u201d
A day ago, Indian Minister of Water CR Patil told India\u2019s ANI news agency that \u201cnot a single drop of water will go (to Pakistan) in the coming years\u201d.
Patil said that India was \u201cactively working on it\u201d after \u201cdirectives\u201d from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Taking note of the remarks, Tahir Andrabi said, \u201cAny attempt to block or substantially curtail water that is vital to the livelihood, agriculture and well being of over 25o million Pakistanis would be a deeply irresponsible act\u201d.
He added that it would violate established international obligations \u201cconcerning transboundary rivers and indeed India\u2019s own bilateral agreement with Pakistan\u201d.
\u201cPakistan firmly rejects any notion that water can be treated as a political tool or instrument of coercion or a weapon,\u201d he said, emphasising that such an action would be a threat to regional peace and security in South Asia and beyond.
He said that the responsibility of such a threat \u201cto international peace and security would fall squarely on India\u2019s shoulders\u201d.
The FO spokesperson added that Pakistan\u2019s rights and interests regarding its water resources were non-negotiable. He said that Pakistan would \u201cvigorously\u201d defend those rights, utilising all available diplomatic, political, legal, economic and other measures consistent with international law and the UN Charter.
\u201cAny deliberate attempt to block water essential to Pakistan\u2019s survival and development would constitute an extremely grave act with far-reaching consequences, as stated at the top leadership level by Pakistan,\u201d Andrabi warned.
Every state had the right of self-defence, he said, adding that Pakistan would take \u201call necessary measures to safeguard its economy and its vital national interests and lives of 250m people\u201d.
Andrabi called upon India to \u201cact responsibly, honour its international commitments and refrain from statements and actions that could further escalate tensions in the region\u201d.
He stated that Pakistan remained committed to safeguarding its interests and \u201cwill closely monitor developments on the ground in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir and elsewhere from where these water resources emerge\u201d.
In response to a question over India expanding its nuclear arsenal, as per a recent report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Tahir Andrabi said that the finding was not surprising to Pakistan.
\u201cIt broadly corroborates concerns that Pakistan has consistently been raising regarding India\u2019s continued vertical proliferation,\u201d he stated, hinting that the findings may not \u201cfully reflect\u201d India\u2019s scale of nuclear arsenal.
The spokesperson noted that Pakistan also remained aware of recent developments in India\u2019s strategic capabilities, including \u201ccannisterisation of the missile systems, expansions of sea-based nuclear-capable submarines and pursuit of increasingly longer-range intercontinental ballistic missile systems that go beyond India\u2019s periphery, neighbourhood or legitimate defence deals\u201d.
Andrabi warned of \u201cgrave consequences\u201d for international peace and security in the context of the development. \u201cThese developments enhance operational readiness, complicate crisis stability, and carry implications that extend beyond South Asia,\u201d he remarked.
He said while Pakistan did not seek an arms race and was \u201cnot interested in matching warheads and ammunition by number,\u201d it also remained cognisant of the \u201cevolving security environment\u201d.
He said Pakistan continued to work towards the preservation of \u201cstrategic stability and deter any possible indian aggression,\u201d and urged the international community to \u201cclosely monitor\u201d the situation.
\u201cDeployment of India\u2019s nuclear arsenal may affect strategic stability in South Asia and undermine peace and security at the regional and global level,\u201d he cautioned.
In the given context, he said the international community, in particular the suppliers of high technology, should be cognisant of the implications of \u201cadvanced technologies and emerging capabilities being incorporated into India\u2019s posture with grave international consequences\u201d.<\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"