Pakistan has once again accused India of “weaponising” shared river waters, escalating tensions over the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) at a time when New Delhi has placed the 1960 agreement in abeyance following the Pahalgam terror attack. Islamabad claims India is attempting to use river flows as a “strategic asset,” a charge New Delhi firmly rejects.
During a weekly briefing, Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi alleged that India’s suspension of treaty mechanisms violates international obligations and is politically motivated. He argued that “the real issue is not terrorism,” but what he described as India’s “growing disposition to treat a shared international river system as something that can be controlled, withheld or diverted at will.”
India’s position remains clear: terror and water cannot flow together. New Delhi has repeatedly stated that Pakistan cannot expect treaty privileges while cross‑border terrorism continues. Indian officials maintain that the suspension is part of a broader set of measures announced after the April 22 Pahalgam attack, in which innocent civilians were killed. India insists that Pakistan must dismantle terror networks before any reconsideration of treaty engagement.
Pakistan, however, rejects India’s linkage of terrorism to water cooperation, calling it an attempt to “politicise” the treaty. Islamabad claims India’s actions threaten millions who depend on the Indus basin and undermine regional stability.
The IWT, brokered by the World Bank, allocates the western rivers (Indus, Jhelum, Chenab) to Pakistan and the eastern rivers (Ravi, Beas, Sutlej) to India. Despite wars and diplomatic freezes, the treaty has endured for over six decades. India argues that its usage remains within treaty limits and that Pakistan’s water shortages stem from domestic mismanagement, not Indian actions.
New Delhi is expected to maintain its firm stance while monitoring Islamabad’s rhetoric closely.