KEY POINTS
- The Prime Minister and services chief were briefed on the national security situation and preparedness
- Focus was on readiness for conventional threats and India’s provocative posture
- Briefings covered hybrid warfare, regional threats, and terrorist proxies
- Leadership reaffirmed Pakistan’s resolve to defend sovereignty under all circumstances
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, along with cabinet members and services chiefs, visited the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Headquarters on Tuesday, where they were briefed on the country’s preparedness in the face of a “conventional threat” amid rising tensions with India, according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
Tensions between Pakistan and India have escalated following the deadly attack on tourists in the Pahalgam area of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) on 22 April, which claimed the lives of 26 people.
India swiftly implied “cross-border linkages” of the attackers without investigation or any credible evidence.
Pakistan has condemned the attack and firmly rejected the Indian claim. Pakistan also repeatedly called for a neutral, transparent, and independent international probe into the incident.
During the visit to ISI Headquarters, the Prime Minister was accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Defence Minister Khawaja Asif.
The services chiefs — Chief of Army Staff General Syed Asim Munir, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Naveed Ashraf and Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmad Babar — were part of the visiting team, according to a group photo released on the occasion.
According to the PMO statement, the high-level delegation received a detailed briefing on the prevailing security environment, with a particular focus on preparedness for conventional threats in light of India’s increasingly aggressive and provocative posture along Pakistan’s eastern border.
The leadership was briefed on regional security developments and the evolving threat matrix, which included conventional military options, hybrid warfare tactics, and the use of terrorist proxies.
The Prime Minister and the accompanying delegation underscored the need for heightened national vigilance, seamless inter-agency coordination, and enhanced operational readiness to deter and decisively respond to any violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Commending the professionalism and strategic foresight of the intelligence agency, the Prime Minister lauded its crucial role in safeguarding national interests and supporting informed security decision-making under complex and evolving conditions.
“The entire nation stands firmly behind our brave armed forces. The Pakistan Army is one of the most professional and disciplined forces in the world,” PM Shehbaz said as quoted by the PMO statement.
Provocative measures
The leadership reaffirmed Pakistan’s unwavering resolve to defend the homeland against all threats—conventional or otherwise—and reiterated that, with the full support of the nation, the armed forces, backed by all elements of national power and state institutions, remain fully prepared to uphold Pakistan’s security, dignity, and honour under all circumstances.
A day after the Pahalgam incident on 23 April, India’s Cabinet Committee on Security approved measures including the closure of the Wagah-Attari border crossing and the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty.
Islamabad also warned that any attempt by India to stop or divert the Indus River waters would be considered an “act of war”.
Pakistan’s Indus River System Authority on Tuesday said that India has almost entirely stopped the flow of the Chenab River into Pakistan, days after suspending the Indus Waters Treaty.
Since Sunday morning, the water flow has been throttled by almost 90 per cent of the usual volume that passes to Pakistan, according to Pakistan’s Indus River System Authority.
The 1960 Indus Waters Treaty survived two wars between the nuclear rivals and was seen as an example of trans-boundary water management.
The treaty allocated the three eastern rivers – the Ravi, Beas and Sutlej – of the Indus basin to India, while 80 per cent of the three western ones – the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab – to Pakistan.
“Act of War”
Pakistan’s National Security warned earlier that stopping water flow “will be considered as an Act of War”.
Disputes have flared in the past, with Pakistan objecting to some of India’s hydropower and water infrastructure projects, arguing they would reduce river flows and violate the treaty. More than 80 per cent of Pakistan’s agriculture and around a third of its hydropower depend on the Indus basin’s water.
The Honourable Prime Minister of Pakistan, Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Defence Minister, and the Services Chiefs, visited the Headquarters of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) today.
The visit entailed a detailed briefing… pic.twitter.com/EUQOgwlMU0
— PTV News (@PTVNewsOfficial) May 6, 2025
Water flows in the Chenab, recorded at the Marala headworks, decreased from up to 35,000 cusecs on Sunday to about 3,100 cusecs on Monday morning, according to Dawn.
“They have almost blocked the River Chenab flows to downstream (Pakistan) after they (Indian authorities) decided on Sunday,” the newspaper reported, quoting a senior official of the Punjab irrigation department.
“Currently, they are using our water to fill up their dams/hydropower projects in the Chenab basin. They cannot do this since it is a grave violation of the Indus Water Treaty…,” the official deplored.
Chenab Basin
India reportedly has three major hydropower projects in the Chenab Basin. The first is the 1,000MW Pakal Dul Dam, having an 88,000 acre-feet reservoir storage capacity and a 10km head race tunnel to divert water south.
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The second is the Baglihar Dam (88km from Pakal Dul upstream). This is a 900MW power generation plant, having a 321,002 acre-feet reservoir storage along with a spillway capacity of 582,692 cusecs.
Massive reduction
The third one is Salal Dam, located 78km from Baglihar, having an installed power generation capacity of 690MW along with 228,000 acre-feet reservoir storage and spillway capacity of 792,012 cusecs.
“From Salal Dam, Marala Barrage (in Pakistan) is situated 76km away. The reason behind the massive reduction in the flows is the filling of these dams, which have a total storage capacity of over 1.2 million acre-feet. And if they keep filling their dams and avert discharging, they (India) may leave us without water for four to five more days,” the official warned.
PM underlines NIFTAC’s pivotal role
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday formally inaugurated the state-of-the-art National Intelligence Fusion and Threat Assessment Centre (NIFTAC) Headquarters, which will serve as the central node for coordinating Pakistan’s national counterterrorism strategy.
On the occasion, he said NIFTAC would play a pivotal role in uprooting terrorism and its support structures from the country, as dismantling the nexus between terrorism, illicit networks, and external sponsorship requires robust and efficient institutional mechanisms, a Prime Minister’s Office news release said.
NIFTAC, a federal institution, integrates over 50 relevant federal and provincial departments and agencies into a unified intelligence and threat management architecture supported by a centralized national database.
At the sub-national level, NIFTAC is linked to six Provincial Intelligence Fusion and Threat Assessment Centres (PIFTACs), including those in Azad Jammu & Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, ensuring seamless coordination from the federation to provinces.
