Pakistan Warns of 'Profound Consequences' Over Indus Waters Treaty Dispute

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has said that any attempt to deprive it of waters allocated under the Indus Waters Treaty will have “profound consequences” for regional security, according to a media report. Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, while virtually addressing a seminar on 'The Indus Waters Treaty: South Asian Security at the Crossroads,' also said that the issue was beyond bilateral relations and concerned “the sanctity of treaties.” The 1960 vintage Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) is a World Bank-brokered agreement between India and Pakistan governing the sharing of waters of the six rivers of the Indus basin, allocating the three eastern rivers to India and the three western to Pakistan. India has put it in “abeyance” since April 2025 in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. “The treaty contains no provision permitting either party to unilaterally suspend or place it in abeyance,” Dar said, adding that neither country could “through a unilateral political declaration, extinguish obligations solemnly undertaken under international law.” According to a report in the Dawn newspaper on Friday, Dar, who is also the Foreign Minister, said the issue went beyond bilateral relations and concerned “the sanctity of treaties” and “confidence in international law.” “Pakistan has consistently sought to resolve differences through dialogue, diplomacy and the mechanisms provided under the Treaty,” he was quoted as saying by the daily.