Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) Member of the Sindh Assembly Engineer Sabir Hussain Qaimkhani has said that the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) between Pakistan and India was concluded under international guarantees, but India has never fully respected or implemented the agreement.
Talking to APP on Sunday, he said that according to international laws, the rights and safety of downstream populations must be protected. However, India had repeatedly failed to honor the IWT treaty, even during flood situations.
He said that one clause of the treaty required prior information to Pakistan in case of floods so that downstream populations could be protected from possible damages. “Whenever floods occur in India, water is suddenly released towards Pakistan without prior information, causing heavy losses of life and property,” he said, calling it an inhumane act.
Sabir Qaimkhani said that after 2025, India started unilaterally claiming that it wanted to revoke the treaty, although no international law allows such a step. He added that any agreement between two countries could only be terminated with mutual consent, and no country could cancel it unilaterally.
Qaimkhani said Pakistan had strongly raised the issue at various international forums and also had the option to approach international courts. He added that Pakistan reserved the right to protect its people, national assets and water resources, which he described as the country’s lifeline.
He further said that India was facing widespread poverty and often adopted an aggressive posture towards Pakistan during election periods to divert public attention from domestic issues. He strongly condemned such actions and reiterated Pakistan’s resolve to defend its rights at all costs.