Pakistan Says Global Community Recognizes Its Position on Indus Waters Treaty

Islamabad: Pakistan’s Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Attaullah Tarar, has said that the country’s stance on the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) has gained international recognition, adding that the global community has acknowledged the treaty’s legal status and strengthened Pakistan’s position.

Addressing a joint press conference in Islamabad alongside Minister for Climate Change Dr. Musadik Malik, Tarar said the Indus Waters Treaty cannot be suspended unilaterally because it is a legally binding international agreement between two sovereign states.

He emphasized that Pakistan’s leadership, including the Prime Minister and the Field Marshal, has consistently maintained that water is a matter of national survival and that no compromise would be made on the country’s water rights.

Tarar also announced that Pakistan will host its first-ever international seminar dedicated to the Indus Waters Treaty, bringing together water resource experts from around the world. He said the event would further reinforce Pakistan’s legal and diplomatic position on the issue.

Speaking at the same press conference, Climate Change Minister Dr. Musadik Malik said Pakistan had actively raised the Indus Waters Treaty issue at the international level over the past one to two months, including at the United Nations and other global forums.

He said the upcoming seminar would examine whether an upstream country can legally stop or restrict the flow of water to another country under international law.

To highlight the human impact of water-related challenges, Malik referred to the story of Iqbal Solangi, a farmer living near the Sindh-Balochistan border. He said Solangi lost his home in the devastating floods of 2010 and was displaced again during the 2022 floods. At other times, he has faced severe water shortages that damaged his crops.

Malik described Solangi as a symbol of millions of Pakistani farmers whose livelihoods depend on river water. He noted that nearly half of Pakistan’s population is economically linked to agriculture, making water security a matter of food security and national survival.

The minister reiterated Pakistan’s position that any attempt to interfere with the country’s water rights would receive a strong response. He added that the international community must determine whether international agreements permit one country to block another country’s water resources.