ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Attaullah Tarar, stated on Tuesday that the Indus Waters Treaty cannot be amended, revoked, suspended, or set aside unilaterally. He emphasized that any changes to the treaty must be made through mutual consensus, as it was originally established.


While speaking at an international seminar on the Indus Waters Treaty in Islamabad, the minister said the conference was “not merely discussing a treaty”; rather, it was about the lifeline of more than 240 million people in Pakistan.


The minister said that water is life and “Indus has given life to Pakistan.” 


The minister said that the treaty has “endured wars, political upheavals and prolonged periods of tension.”


“Its resilience, for more than six decades, demonstrates an enduring truth that cooperation, dialogue and adherence to international commitments remain the only sustainable path to peace,” Tarar said.


He said that India’s failed attempt to unilaterally hold the treaty in abeyance has led to international embarrassment for India at various forums, including legal ones. 


"When a one-sided attempt is made to hold this treaty in abeyance, the moral, social, legal foundation of that attempt is extremely weak,” he said, adding that any structure that has a weak foundation would fall flat on its face.  


“The weaponization of water or attempts to unilaterally alter established arrangements undermine not only regional peace and stability but also the broader framework of international law,” he said. 


The minister said that Pakistan's collective future depends on transforming water from a source of contention into a catalyst for cooperation.


“History teaches us that rivers do not divide civilizations; they connect them. Rivers transcend borders, politics and generations,” he said, adding that humanity’s shared challenges demand shared solutions. 


He said that Islamabad has consistently demonstrated its commitment to peaceful engagement, constructive dialogue, and the faithful implementation of the treaty. However, he said, if an attempt is made to stop Pakistan’s water, our national leadership is resolved to respond effectively to restore water.


Not merely a water crisis, but a matter of justice

Federal Minister for Climate Change Dr Musadik Malik urged the international community to view the ongoing dispute over transboundary water flows as a matter of justice rather than merely a climate or water crisis, warning that the weakening of international treaties could have far-reaching global consequences.


Addressing the seminar, he said that nearly half of Pakistan’s population, around 120 million people, depends on agriculture, while a quarter of the country’s GDP and its food security rely on uninterrupted river flows. 


“Upstream actions, combined with the impacts of climate change, have intensified floods and water shortages, resulting in thousands of deaths, injuries, mass displacement, and significant disruption to education and livelihoods,” the minister argued.


Referring to the Indus Waters Treaty, the minister described it as one of the strongest international water-sharing agreements, noting that it has endured multiple wars between two nuclear-armed neighbors. 


He warned that any unilateral attempt to suspend or disregard such a treaty would undermine the credibility of the international rules-based order established after the Second World War.


The minister also questioned the effectiveness of international legal mechanisms, saying that if countries reject the jurisdiction of international courts or ignore treaty obligations, it raises concerns for the future of global governance and dispute resolution.


Highlighting the broader implications, he said, “the issue extends beyond Pakistan, pointing to Europe’s interconnected river systems where downstream countries depend on water originating in neighboring states.”


He cautioned that weakening international agreements on shared water resources could set a precedent affecting countries worldwide and called for the preservation of treaty commitments, international law, and principles of justice in resolving transboundary water disputes.