Pakistan will not let India weaponise water, says Tarar

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said Pakistan believes in peace but will not allow India to weaponise water.

Speaking at the launch of a special report, “Weaponising Waters: Historical, Legal, and Strategic Dimensions of IWT Suspension”, at the Institute of Strategic Studies in Islamabad, he said the Indus Waters Treaty cannot be unilaterally altered, rescinded, revoked or held in abeyance.

He said the court of arbitration had upheld Pakistan’s stance, strengthening its argument that no party can unilaterally change the treaty’s status.

Tarar said Pakistan had pursued the matter diplomatically and engaged the international community.

He noted that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif told the 81st session of the UN General Assembly that the treaty is the lifeblood of Pakistan’s people and the region, and that any attempt to usurp this right would be treated as an act of war.

He said Pakistan’s position was clear and had the backing of many countries. The treaty, he added, is an instrument of peace and stability.

He called any attempt to weaponise water or create controversy around it highly condemnable and unjustifiable on legal, diplomatic and moral grounds.

Tarar urged the international community to recognise the wider precedent.

Allowing a state to unilaterally hold a binding water treaty in abeyance, despite established dispute-resolution mechanisms, could undermine transboundary water governance worldwide, he warned.

He said it could affect other countries that share water under treaties.

He said Pakistan would continue to engage the international community and defend its vital national interests in accordance with international law.