Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar has cautioned that India is advancing at least 17 projects intended to fundamentally change the Indus River System, a move he described as an attempt to establish “hydro-hegemony” in the region.
Delivering a keynote address via a recorded message to a seminar titled “Transboundary Water Resources: A Weaponised Global Common”, the foreign minister argued that responsible nations must settle disagreements through existing legal structures rather than discarding them, reports Pakistan Today.
He highlighted that Pakistan’s alarms are not merely political rhetoric but are rooted in physical developments, such as the construction of reservoirs and river diversion schemes on the Ravi, Chenab, and Indus.
Treaty under pressure
Senator Dar noted that the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), established in 1960 with World Bank mediation, has historically been a benchmark for peaceful dispute resolution, enduring three wars and various political crises.
Under the agreement, India is allocated the eastern rivers – Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej – while the western rivers – Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab – are primarily reserved for Pakistan.
However, the accord has faced severe strain following India’s April 2025 announcement to suspend its obligations after the Pahalgam incident in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan has dismissed India’s claims regarding the event and requested an impartial probe.
Humanitarian and climate concerns
The Deputy Prime Minister warned that treating water as a political weapon or restricted resource could trigger a “catastrophe in the making” for approximately 240 million people. He stressed that shared water resources are essential for human dignity and should promote regional unity rather than discord.
Citing former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Dar pointed out that water conflicts are frequently the result of poor management rather than a lack of resources. He also underscored Pakistan’s precarious position as one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable states, despite being responsible for less than one per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Islamabad continues to maintain that the 1960 treaty remains a legally binding document. Dar urged the international community and the United Nations Security Council to step in, warning that a continued breakdown of the agreement would have dire security, environmental, and humanitarian consequences for the entire region.
