ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Climate Change Musadik Malik has warned that attempts to undermine the Indus Waters Treaty could set a dangerous global precedent threatening the water rights of downstream countries across the world.
Speaking exclusively to Pakistan TV’s senior correspondent Saima Shabbir, on the sidelines of the fourth High-Level International Water Conference in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, Musadik Malik said Pakistan had raised the issue before the international community not only as a national concern but as a matter affecting all downstream countries.
He said India’s unilateral actions regarding transboundary rivers posed a serious challenge to established international water-sharing principles.
Referring to recent legal developments, the minister said international arbitration forums had supported Pakistan’s position by rejecting attempts to justify excessive water storage under the guise of run-of-the-river hydropower projects.
He said if the precedent of suspending or undermining a water treaty was accepted, many downstream countries would face uncertainty over their water access and food security.
He said it is not just Pakistan’s issue, every downstream country in the world would be vulnerable if upstream states begin choking water flows, adding that such actions could endanger the survival, agriculture and economic stability of downstream nations.
The minister said Pakistan had informed participants at the conference that water was fundamentally linked to the right to existence and should be treated as a universal right rather than merely a technical issue.
Highlighting Pakistan’s dependence on water resources, Malik said the country’s agriculture, food security and employment were deeply connected to the Indus River system.
He further said a significant share of Pakistan’s GDP and workforce relied on agriculture, making water security a national priority.
The federal minister said Pakistan was now taking a leadership role in advocating for equitable water rights at the global level, adding that delegates, ministers and journalists attending the conference had expressed support for Pakistan’s stance on protecting downstream countries from unilateral upstream actions.
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