ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Saturday strongly condemned Indian Home Minister Amit Shah’s “brazen disregard” for international agreements after the latter said New Delhi would never restore the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) with Islamabad.
Pakistan described India’s stance as “a blatant breach of international law” and a dangerous precedent.
On April 23, a day after 26 people were killed in Pahalgam attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, India unilaterally suspended its participation in the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan. The treaty governs the usage of the Indus River system.
India, without presenting any credible evidence, blamed Islamabad for the attack. Pakistan has condemned the incident and strongly rejected New Delhi’s allegations.
Pakistan has repeatedly called for a neutral and transparent international probe into the Pahalgam incident. The Indus Waters Treaty remains dormant despite a ceasefire agreed upon by the two nuclear-armed neighbours last month following their worst fighting in decades.
“No, it will never be restored,” Amit Shah told The Times of India earlier today.
“We will take water that was flowing to Pakistan to Rajasthan by constructing a canal. Pakistan will be starved of water that it has been getting unjustifiably.”
The latest comments from Shah, the most powerful cabinet minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet, reveal New Delhi’s intentions as Islamabad’s hopes for negotiations on the treaty in the near term.
In a statement issued in response to the Indian Home Minister’s remarks, Pakistan’s Foreign Office Spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said the Indian minister’s comments reflected “a brazen disregard for the sanctity of international agreements” and noted that the IWT is an apolitical agreement without provisions for unilateral action.
“India’s illegal announcement to hold the treaty in abeyance constitutes a clear violation of international law, the provisions of the treaty itself, and the fundamental principles governing inter-state relations,” the spokesperson stated.
“Such conduct sets a reckless and dangerous precedent — one that undermines the credibility of international agreements and raises serious questions about the reliability and trustworthiness of a state that openly refuses to fulfil its legal obligations.”
The Foreign Office spokesperson added that “weaponising water for political ends” is irresponsible and contrary to the behaviour of a responsible. It demanded that India immediately restore the full implementation of the Indus Waters Treaty.
“For its part, Pakistan remains firmly committed to the treaty and will take all necessary measures to protect its legitimate rights and entitlements under it,” the spokesperson said.
On Friday, Pakistan’s former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said that New Delhi must accept the IWT, warning that if it refused to honour the treaty, “we will fight another war and take all six rivers. We know how to defend our rivers.”
Statement by the Spokesperson Regarding Indian Home Minister’s Assertion that the Indus Waters Treaty Will Never be Restored.
Responding to media queries regarding the Indian Home Minister’s assertion that the Indus Waters Treaty will never be restored , the Spokesperson of the… pic.twitter.com/ndY9LfAkhk
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) June 21, 2025
Earlier in the month, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned India’s unilateral suspension of the IWT, describing it as a “blatant violation and act of water aggression”, and warned that Pakistan would give a befitting response in line with decisions made at the National Security Committee (NSC) meeting held on April 24.
Last month, Reuters reported that India plans to dramatically increase the water it draws from a major river that feeds Pakistani farms downstream, as part of retaliatory action.
Earlier, Pakistan’s foreign ministry had stated that the treaty has no provision for one side to unilaterally pull back and that any blocking of river water flowing to Pakistan will be considered “an act of war”.
Islamabad is also exploring a legal challenge to India’s decision to hold the treaty in abeyance under international law.
