Pakistan raises alarm over alleged 'weaponization of water' by India

Pakistan on Friday raised serious concerns over what it called India's "weaponization of water," warning that New Delhi's actions "threaten" South Asian peace and security.

Briefing foreign envoys based in Islamabad, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said Pakistan observed unusual and abrupt variations in the flow of the River Chenab twice this year, from April 30 to May 21, and again in the past week from Dec. 7 to 15.

"These variations in water flow are of extreme concern for Pakistan, as they point to unilateral release of water by India into the River Chenab," Dar told the foreign ambassadors.

He was referring to the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), which New Delhi unilaterally suspended following an April 22 attack that killed 26 people at a tourist resort in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir.

"I have requested this meeting to bring to your attention a situation that threatens peace and stability in South Asia," Dar said, referring to what he described as India's continued violations of the treaty.

New Delhi has yet to react to the statement by the top Pakistani diplomat.

On Thursday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Tahir Andrabi said Pakistan's Indus Water Commissioner has sent a letter to his Indian counterpart, seeking clarification under the treaty's dispute-resolution mechanisms.

However, Dar warned that India's "manipulation of water," occurring at a critical point in the country's agricultural cycle, directly threatens its citizens' lives and livelihoods, as well as food and economic security.

"Water is life, and it cannot be weaponized," he said, urging India to immediately reinstate the treaty.

Dar said he has written letters to the current president of the UN Security Council, the UN secretary-general, and the president of the UN General Assembly, urging them to play their roles.

"Pakistan's National Security Committee has already declared that any attempt to stop or divert the flow of water to Pakistan under the treaty will be considered as an act of war," he warned.

The Indus Waters Treaty is a water-sharing agreement brokered by the World Bank in 1960. Pakistan and India share the waters of six rivers.

India receives the waters of the Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi rivers under the agreement, while Pakistan receives the waters of the Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab rivers.