Pakistan has strongly condemned Indian Home Minister Amit Shah’s claim that the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) with Pakistan "will never be reinstated," calling it a violation of international obligations.

 

 

Shah made these comments during an interview with an Indian newspaper, where he asserted that India would reroute water from the Indus River system to Rajasthan. . "We will seize water that was originally flowing to Pakistan, Pakistan will be deprived of water that it has been receiving unjustly,” he said.

 

 

In response, Pakistan’s Foreign Office stated that Shah’s remarks demonstrate a complete disregard for the Indus Waters Treaty, which was mediated by the World Bank and signed in 1960. The treaty outlines the division of the Indus Basin rivers between the two nations and has been in effect for over six decades.

 

 

India withdrew from the treaty following the April 22 attack in Pahalgam, in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir. India accused Pakistan of being responsible for the attack, although it has not presented any evidence to support the claim to date. Pakistan has denied the allegation and has called for an independent inquiry.

 

 

The Foreign Office emphasised that the treaty is an instrument of international law, not merely a political arrangement, and prohibits any unilateral withdrawal or suspension. It claimed that India’s decision to suspend the treaty violates not only the agreement itself but also broader principles of international law.

 

 

The FO further noted that using water as political leverage undermines the credibility of cross-border agreements and casts doubt on India’s commitment to its legal obligations. It urged India to promptly reverse its decision and restore the treaty’s implementation unconditionally.

 

 

Pakistan reiterated its commitment to the treaty and stated that it would continue to take necessary measures to safeguard its water rights as stipulated in the agreement.

 

 

Earlier, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, while addressing the public, criticised India’s position. He warned that if India refused to abide by the treaty, Pakistan would respond decisively, stating, “We will engage in another conflict and seize all six rivers. We know how to protect our waterways.”

 

 

The future of the Indus Waters Treaty remains uncertain amid ongoing political and military tensions between the two countries.