ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination Dr Musadik Masood Malik has said India’s violation of the Indus Waters Treaty poses a grave threat to the lives, livelihoods and food security of the entire Pakistani nation.
Speaking at the Indus Waters Treaty seminar in Islamabad, Dr Malik said Pakistan would continue to expose India’s unilateral and illegal attempt to undermine the treaty before domestic and international audiences.
He said the issue was not merely a technical water dispute but a matter of survival for Pakistan.
“Hundred per cent food security depends on this water,” Dr Malik said, adding that Pakistan’s agriculture, economy and employment were deeply linked with the Indus river system.
Crisis of justice
The minister said the Indus Waters Treaty had protected regional stability for decades and India had no legal or moral authority to suspend, alter or hold it in abeyance unilaterally.
“This is a crisis of justice,” he said. “Pakistan will not compromise on its rightful share of water.”
Dr Malik said nearly 120 million people were directly connected to the river system through farming, food production, employment and daily life.
He warned that any attempt to stop or manipulate Pakistan’s water would affect not only agriculture but also national food security and the lives of millions.
“No one can stop our water,” he said.
India’s climate responsibility
Dr Malik also linked the issue to the broader climate crisis, saying India was among the world’s largest polluters and its actions were worsening the suffering of downstream communities.
“This is not just a water issue. India is the third-largest polluter in the world, creating a furnace of climate change and causing destruction downstream,” he said.
“You burn, you flood,” he added, referring to the severe climate consequences faced by vulnerable countries.
The minister said Pakistan had paid a heavy price for climate disasters over the past 15 years, with around 6,000 people dead, 19,000 disabled and 14 million people displaced for months.
Treaty survived wars
Dr Malik described the Indus Waters Treaty as one of the strongest treaties in the world, noting that it had survived three wars between two nuclear-armed neighbours.
“The treaty is not held in abeyance; it has been revealed to the world,” he said.
He said international law and court rulings had already placed clear limits on unilateral actions.
“No one country can unilaterally decide and say it does not accept jurisdiction,” he said.
Dr Malik said Pakistan’s position was also a case for all downstream nations.
“Every country is a downstream country to another, and no one can stop water,” he said.
