ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday strongly condemned India’s proposed Chenab-Beas Link Project, terming it a serious violation of the Indus Waters Treaty and international law.
Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi, responding to media queries following the weekly briefing, said Pakistan had taken note of reports and official tender documents issued by the Indian government regarding the project.
According to reports, India plans to begin construction of the Chenab-Beas Link Tunnel on August 1 to divert approximately 1.9 million acre-feet of water annually from the Chenab River to the Beas basin.
Andrabi said the proposed inter-basin diversion of water from the Chenab, one of the western rivers allocated to Pakistan under the waters agreement, constituted a grave breach of the treaty and of international legal frameworks governing transboundary water resources.
The foreign office spokesperson also expressed concern over India’s reported plans to carry out silt flushing operations at the Salal Dam in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
He said such measures could provide water control capabilities not permitted under the Indus Waters Treaty or the 1978 Salal Agreement.
He noted that India had neither formally informed Islamabad about these projects nor sought consultations. Andrabi warned that attempts to “weaponize water” could endanger Pakistan’s water, food, and economic security, while posing risks to regional peace and stability.
Andarabi reiterated that Pakistan reserves all options to safeguard its rights under the treaty and urged the international community to press India to fully implement the IWT.
The spokesperson also rejected reports claiming that Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar shared information regarding Iran’s nuclear program during a recent meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Tahir Andrabi said no such information was exchanged during Dar’s meeting with Rubio in Washington on May 29.
The clarification came after former CIA analyst Larry Johnson alleged that Dar had conveyed messages about Iran’s nuclear intentions to US officials.
However, Rubio also dismissed the claims during a congressional hearing, stating he was unaware of any such message and would have known if it had been delivered.
