Key Points
- Chinese scholar Prof Cheng Xizhong accuses India of weaponizing water through unannounced releases and data withholding
- Actions described as violations of the Indus Waters Treaty and core principles of international law
- Pakistan’s agriculture, food security, and livelihoods of over 250 million people reportedly at risk
- India’s hydropower projects and bypassing of dispute mechanisms termed a dangerous global precedent
BEIJING: India’s alleged violations of the Indus Waters Treaty, including unannounced water releases and refusal to share data, pose a serious threat to Pakistan’s survival and regional stability, a China-based scholar has warned.
The warning was issued by Prof. Cheng Xizhong, a senior research fellow at the Charhar Institute, who said India’s actions amounted to the weaponisation of water against Pakistan. He argued that unannounced releases and the continued refusal to share hydrological data violated both the letter and spirit of the Indus Waters Treaty, while deliberately disrupting Pakistan’s agricultural cycle and threatening the livelihoods of more than 250 million people.
Prof Cheng said that, as highlighted by Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar, India’s actions were reckless and deliberately timed to disrupt Pakistan’s agricultural cycle. He said such measures directly threatened the livelihoods of more than 250 million people, undermining Pakistan’s food and economic security and raising the risk of a large-scale humanitarian crisis.
He added that the conduct constituted not only a clear breach of the Indus Waters Treaty but also a violation of fundamental principles of international law. India’s systematic efforts to weaken the treaty framework, including the construction of what he described as illegal hydropower projects and the bypassing of established dispute resolution mechanisms, set a dangerous precedent for the governance of transboundary water resources worldwide, according to Pakistan Today.
Prof Cheng said the international community, particularly the United Nations Security Council and the World Bank, could not afford to remain silent on the issue. He warned that India’s manipulation of shared water resources undermined the credibility of international treaties and violated the core principles of good neighbourly relations.
He said it was essential for the global community to press India to immediately return to full compliance with the Indus Waters Treaty, halt the use of water as a coercive tool, and engage in meaningful and constructive dialogue.
Cheng concluded that lasting regional stability could only be ensured if India returned to full compliance with the Indus Waters Treaty, halted the use of water as a coercive instrument and engaged in meaningful dialogue. He warned that ignoring Pakistan’s water rights would further inflame South Asian tensions, undermine international law and transform a vital shared resource into a catalyst for wider conflict.
