ISLAMABAD: Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Monday said the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) between Pakistan and India could not be unilaterally revoked, abolished or amended, stressing that the agreement remained legally binding and in force.
He made the remarks during a press conference in Islamabad alongside Climate Change Minister Musadik Malik.
His statement comes amid continued tensions over the treaty after India unilaterally placed the agreement in abeyance following the brief military conflict between the two countries in May 2025. More recently, Indian Water Minister CR Patil said India was working to ensure “not a single drop of water” flowed into Pakistan. Islamabad has maintained that any attempt to alter the flow of shared rivers would be treated as an “act of war”.
Opening the press conference, Tarar said the international community had recognised Pakistan’s right to water security. He added that Pakistan’s legal position had received global support because the aIndus Waters Treaty could not be unilaterally revoked, abolished or amended.
He said the treaty provided a clear legal framework that remained operational and continued to be implemented. Referring to repeated statements by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, Tarar said, “Water is our lifeline, as well as our red line.”
“Our people have a right to water through a legally enforceable treaty that was accepted by both countries, that remains implemented today, and regarding which India has been disgraced on various forums. Their stance was not accepted at any forum,” he said.
Tarar also announced that a seminar would be held in Islamabad on Tuesday to raise awareness about Pakistan’s rights under the treaty. Water and legal experts from around the world are expected to attend.
He reiterated that international experts had endorsed Pakistan’s position on the IWT, calling it a victory for the country in the narrative domain as the global community increasingly accepted Pakistan’s stance.
Speaking at the briefing, Climate Change Minister Musadik Malik said the Indus Waters Treaty had been discussed at several international forums over the past two months, adding that Pakistan’s position had also been endorsed by the international court of arbitration.
Malik acknowledged that climate change had contributed to irregular water flows but argued that another major concern was India’s threat to restrict water supplies. He said the Indian prime minister had declared that not even a single drop of water would be allowed to reach Pakistan.
He said the issue would be discussed in detail during Tuesday’s seminar, noting that between 40 and 50 per cent of Pakistan’s population depended on agriculture for their livelihoods, while the sector contributed around 20 to 25pc of the national economy.
“Someone else is trying to control the country’s food security, 50pc of employment and 25pc of the economy,” Malik said, adding that Pakistan had already warned that any attempt to deprive it of its water would have serious consequences.
He also questioned whether upper riparian states could be allowed to cut off water supplies to downstream countries, saying that even in regions without formal treaties, water-sharing continued under international conventions.
“Here we even have a treaty. How can the water be stopped then? This is the case that we will present tomorrow,” Malik said, stressing that the conference would focus on justice and the rights of lower riparian states.
Responding to a question, Malik said all political parties should unite on the issue of water management and dam construction. He expressed confidence that consensus could be achieved, saying Pakistan at least needed to agree on regulating water flows and building dams.
A treaty under strain
Brokered by the World Bank in 1960, the Indus Waters Treaty governs the distribution of the Indus River system between Pakistan and India. It allocates the eastern rivers — Ravi, Beas and Sutlej — to India, while Pakistan receives the western rivers — Indus, Jhelum and Chenab.
The agreement has long been regarded as one of the most durable cooperation frameworks between the two countries, surviving wars and repeated periods of tension. However, it came under renewed strain after India announced in 2025 that it was placing its treaty obligations in abeyance.
India’s decision followed an attack on tourists in occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam that killed 26 people. New Delhi blamed Pakistan without presenting evidence, while Islamabad denied the allegations and called for an independent investigation.
In June 2025, the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) issued a Supplemental Award of Competence, stating that India could not unilaterally suspend its obligations under the treaty.
Despite the ruling, India has maintained that the treaty will remain in abeyance until Pakistan ends what it describes as support for cross-border terrorism, an allegation Islamabad has repeatedly rejected.
Last month, Pakistan welcomed another supplemental award by the PCA, saying it reinforced Islamabad’s interpretation of the treaty by placing substantive limits on India’s ability to control water flows from the western rivers.
The ruling concerned the maximum pondage permitted at the Ratle Hydroelectric Plant and the Kishenganga Hydroelectric Project in occupied Kashmir. Although the decision was not made public, Pakistan said it rejected India’s attempts to justify greater water storage through unrealistic operational assumptions and unsupported compliance claims.
Earlier this month, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar warned that at least 17 Indian projects on the Indus River System could provide New Delhi with “tools for hydro-hegemony”.
Indian broadcaster CNBC TV18 recently reported that India would begin work on the proposed Link-3 Project on the Chenab River in Himachal Pradesh on August 1. The project aims to divert surplus water from the Chenab to the Beas basin and is estimated to cost 26.2 billion Indian rupees, according to ANI.
Commenting on the reports during a weekly briefing on June 4, Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi described the Chenab-Beas Link Tunnel project as a grave violation of the Indus Waters Treaty and international law.
He said India had invited bids for the project, which intended to divert 1.9 million acre-feet of water annually from the Chenab to the Beas system.
According to Andrabi, such an inter-basin diversion would violate not only the Indus Waters Treaty but also the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties and the broader principles of international water law, including those reflected in the 1977 UN Convention on Watercourses.