ISLAMABAD: Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari on Sunday criticized India over the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), in his message on World Water Day.

“This deliberate weaponisation of shared water resources is a matter of deep concern,” the president said, according to a statement through the press information department.

He said India’s decision to place the treaty in abeyance and disrupt “ hydrological data-sharing” mechanisms undermines “both the letter and spirit” of a “six-decades-old” international agreement.

“I call on India to immediately restore full implementation of the Treaty in accordance with international obligations,” he added.

The IWT signed in 1960 by Pakistan and India through the World Bank, allocated the three western rivers of Indus, Jhelum and Chenab to Pakistan, and the three eastern rivers of Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej to India.

In 2025, India unilaterally announced the suspension of its obligations under the IWT, following a terrorist attack in Illegally Indian Occupied Kashmir. India blamed Islamabad for the attack without any evidence.

Zardari’s remarks came as Pakistan marked World Water Day under the theme “Water and Gender,” focusing on unequal access to water.

“Women and girls often carry the heaviest burden when safe water is not available close to home,” he said.

He noted that in many parts of the country, households rely on distant or unreliable water sources, forcing women and girls to spend long hours collecting water.

“Time that could otherwise be spent in school, at work or with their families,” he added.

“Access to safe water and sanitation is a basic right recognised under our Constitution,” the president added. “Ensuring reliable and safe water supply must remain a national priority.”

“As pressures on water resources grow due to population demands and climate variability, we must use water with greater care,” the president concluded

Articles tagged with "World Water Day"

India’s water aggression condemned as Pakistan demands treaty restoration