Key Points
- Pakistan says India cannot unilaterally hold the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance
- Commissioner raises concerns over repeated fluctuations in Chenab River flows
- Islamabad seeks restoration of treaty mechanisms, including regular data sharing
- Pakistan warns that upstream river diversions could alter the treaty’s balance
- Officials reiterate their commitment to resolving disputes through legal and treaty mechanisms
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Commissioner for Indus Waters said India has no legal basis to hold the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance.
He warned that any unilateral suspension of the landmark water-sharing agreement, as India is blatantly doing, would violate its provisions and heighten risks for millions of people dependent on the Indus basin.
Addressing an international seminar on the Indus Waters Treaty in Islamabad, the commissioner said the treaty was not merely a legal document but a lifeline for more than 240 million Pakistanis. “Our agriculture, food security and water supplies depend on the uninterrupted implementation of its provisions,” he added.
He said that as Pakistan’s Indus Water Commissioner, he had recently witnessed repeated fluctuations in the Chenab River flow. He said he had formally sought explanations from its Indian counterpart, describing the incidents as more than routine technical issues.
The absence of a response, he said, increased operational uncertainty and posed risks for downstream water management.
The commissioner maintained that Pakistan’s concerns were not directed at India’s hydropower generation, within the framework of the treaty, but at developments that could alter the agreed allocation of river waters through upstream controls or diversions beyond the treaty’s scope.
Referring to reports of proposed infrastructure on the Chenab River, he said any diversion of river flows that fundamentally changed the character of the water-sharing arrangement would raise serious legal and technical questions under the treaty.
He said the reported Chenab-Bias link, through which India is trying to divert water outside the treaty domain, is a matter of serious concern.
Secondly, he highlighted concerns about infrastructure at the Salal Hydroelectric Project, saying Pakistan would continue to examine developments through the mechanisms available under the treaty.
Calling for the immediate revival of regular engagement between the two countries’ Indus Commissioners, he urged the restoration of routine data-sharing and information exchange envisaged under the treaty.
He warned that a data blackout undermined transparency and increased the potential for misunderstandings during periods of fluctuating river flows.
The commissioner said Pakistan remained committed to pursuing all available legal, technical and diplomatic avenues under the treaty, including established dispute-resolution mechanisms.
He added that Islamabad was also strengthening its domestic institutional capacity to monitor river flows and address emerging water challenges.
Brokered by the World Bank and signed in 1960, the Indus Waters Treaty has survived multiple wars and prolonged periods of political tension between India and Pakistan.
It is widely regarded as one of the world’s most durable transboundary water-sharing agreements.
Pakistan has consistently argued that the treaty cannot be suspended or set aside unilaterally by either party and that all disputes must be addressed through its agreed institutional framework.
