India announced in April 2025 that it was placing the 1960 World Bank-brokered treaty “in abeyance” after accusing Pakistan of supporting a deadly militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir. Islamabad denied the allegation, rejected India’s move as unlawful, and has repeatedly maintained that the treaty cannot be suspended by one party alone.
“The Indus Waters Treaty cannot be amended, revoked, suspended or held in abeyance because it cannot be done unilaterally,” Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said in his opening address to the conference. “This pact came into being after mutual consensus and only mutual consensus can lead to any amendment or revision.”
Tarar described the treaty as a lifeline for Pakistan’s more than 240 million people, saying the Indus River was central to the country’s agriculture, economy, and livelihoods.
He said India’s attempt to place the treaty in abeyance lacked legal and moral foundations, arguing that international agreements could not be disregarded at the convenience of one party.
“Pakistan has consistently demonstrated its commitment to peaceful engagement and constructive dialogue and the faithful implementation of the treaty,” he continued. “But if an attempt is made to stop the water of Pakistan, our national leadership stands resolved to respond effectively to restore the water for the people of Pakistan.”
The daylong conference in Islamabad has brought together Pakistani and international policymakers, legal experts, and water specialists to discuss the treaty’s legal framework, regional security implications, and the challenges posed by climate change.
Signed under the auspices of the World Bank in 1960, the Indus Waters Treaty governs the sharing of the Indus river system between India and Pakistan and has survived multiple wars and decades of strained relations between the nuclear-armed neighbors.
Hossein Amiri - Hossein Amiri
