Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar on Friday said that India’s unlawful and unilateral abeyance of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) clearly exemplified the weaponization of water, which had all the potential to trigger a humanitarian crisis in Pakistan.
The deputy prime minister, addressing the members of the diplomatic corps expressed serious concerns over the “unusual and abrupt” variations and unilateral release of water in the River Chenab by India twice this year during April 30 to May 21, 2025 and in the past week from December 7 to 15.
“India’s manipulation of water, at a critical time of our agriculture cycle, directly threatens the lives and livelihoods, as well as food and economic security of our citizens…Such illegal and irresponsible Indian conduct has all the potential to trigger a humanitarian crisis in Pakistan,” Dar said.
He told the diplomatic community that India had also halted sharing advance information, hydrological data, and joint oversight required by the Treaty, which had exposed Pakistan to floods and droughts.
Highlighting India’s unilateral abeyance of the Treaty in gross contravention of international law, especially Article 26 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, the deputy prime minister said that Pakistan was currently witnessing “material breaches” by India striking at the heart of the IWT with escalating consequences both for regional stability and sanctity of international law.
“India’s manipulation of water has prompted our Indus Water Commissioner to write a letter to his Indian counterpart seeking clarification on the matter, as provided for under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), asking India to respond to the queries and refrain from any unilateral manipulations of river flows.
“India continues to build illegal dams in sheer disregard of the Treaty obligations, to impose ‘fait accompli.’ With building of dams, Indian capacity to store and manipulate water is also increasing, which endangers Pakistan’s security, economy and livelihood of 240 million people of Pakistan.”
He said that Permanent Court of Arbitration, in its recent decisions of June and August 2025, reaffirmed the continuing validity of the IWT and its binding dispute-resolution mechanisms.
He urged the international community to take notice of India’s continued disregard of a bilateral treaty and counsel India to act responsibly in accordance with international law and established norms.
Following disruptions in the Chenab River, the Jhelum River is also experiencing disrupted flows due to the abrupt holding and releasing of water by Indian authorities.
On Friday, the Foreign Office sought clarification from India via a letter over a sudden variation in the Chenab River’s flow, which badly affected wheat and other crops being fed through the Marala-Ravi link and other canals in various parts of Punjab.
The office of the Pakistan Commissioner on Indus Waters said that the Jhelum River was experiencing reduced inflow from upstream in India to downstream at Mangla Dam.