{"id":1419,"date":"2026-06-29T15:35:26","date_gmt":"2026-06-29T15:35:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/diplomag.com.pk\/?p=1419"},"modified":"2026-06-29T15:35:28","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T15:35:28","slug":"iwt-cannot-be-revoked-unilaterally-remains-in-force","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/diplomag.com.pk\/index.php\/2026\/06\/29\/iwt-cannot-be-revoked-unilaterally-remains-in-force\/","title":{"rendered":"IWT cannot be revoked unilaterally, remains in force"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

ISLAMABAD<\/strong>: Information Minister Attaullah Tarar asserted on Monday that the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) between India and Pakistan could not be unilaterally revoked or altered, stressing that the people of Pakistan had a right to Indus waterways under the \u201clegally enforceable treaty\u201d that remained in force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said this while addressing a press conference alongside Climate Change Minister Musadik Malik in Islamabad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tarar\u2019s statement comes at a time when water and the IWT remains a contentious issue between India and Pakistan, following New Delhi\u2019s unilateral abeyance of the accord last year \u2014 a move that followed a brief military conflict between the two sides in May 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More recently, Indian Water Minister CR Patil said his country was working to ensure \u201cnot a single drop of water\u201d would flow into Pakistan. Meanwhile, Pakistan has maintained that any attempt to change the flow of cross-border waterways would be considered an \u201cact of war\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the outset of the press briefing, Tarar said the world had endorsed that water security was important for Pakistan and the country had a right to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLegally, Pakistan\u2019s stance has garnered support internationally, as the IWT cannot be unilaterally revoked, abolished or amended,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The minister said the treaty had laid out a framework with clarity, which was \u201cin the field and [remains] implemented\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tarar said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir had stated multiple times that \u201cwater is our lifeline, as well as our red line\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur people have a right to water through a legally enforceable treaty that was accepted by both countries, that remains implemented today, and regarding which India has been disgraced on various forums. Their stance was not accepted at any forum,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said a seminar would be held in Islamabad on Tuesday, during which awareness would be raised about Pakistan\u2019s rights under the treaty. \u201cWater and legal experts from around the world will be attending the seminar,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The minister reiterated that experts had accepted Pakistan\u2019s rights under the IWT internationally. \u201cSo this is a victory for Pakistan in the narrative domain that the entire world is accepting its narrative and stance on the Indus Waters Treaty,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking after him, Malik said the IWT had been raised at various international forums during the last month or two. \u201cPakistan\u2019s stance was also endorsed at the international court of arbitration,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Highlighting the consequences of irregular water flows, he acknowledged that it was partly due to climate change. However, he added, there was another factor as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere is a tap being controlled by the prime minister of a neighbouring country. He says he will not let even a drop of water flow into Pakistan,\u201d Malik added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said that this matter would be debated at the seminar tomorrow, noting that 40-50 per cent of Pakistan\u2019s population relied on agriculture for their livelihood. Moreover, 20-25pcn of the country\u2019s economy depended on agriculture, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, he continued, \u201csomeone else [is trying to] control the entirety of the country\u2019s food security, 50pc of employment in the country and 25pc of the economy\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that Pakistan had already declared that anyone trying to deprive it of its water would face severe consequences. \u201cAnd we have shown this as well,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut, there is also the question of justice. We will protect ourselves, [\u2026] but what about other countries and the poor elsewhere? Does every upper riparian now have the right to stop the flow of water to the lower riparian?\u201d he questioned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He noted that elsewhere in the world, water continued to flow even in the absence of a treaty, governed only by a convention. \u201cBut we even have a treaty. [\u2026] How can the water be stopped here then? This is the case that we will present tomorrow,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe treaty exists,\u201d he asserted, adding that Tuesday\u2019s conference was primarily about justice and rights. \u201cIt will be decided what justice is internationally. [\u2026] It will be decided whether the children in lower riparians across the world have a right to water.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Responding to a question, he highlighted the significance of all political parties coming together, adding that \u201cwe will reach a consensus\u201d on dams\u2019 construction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe should at least agree that we need to regulate the water [flow] and we need dams. God willing, there will be no dispute with any political party regarding this,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

ISLAMABAD: Information Minister Attaullah Tarar asserted on Monday that the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) between India and Pakistan could not be unilaterally revoked or altered, stressing that the people of Pakistan had a right to Indus waterways under the \u201clegally enforceable treaty\u201d that remained in force. He said this while addressing a press conference alongside […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1262,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,16,2],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[27],"class_list":["post-1419","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-latest","category-national","category-pakisstan"],"authors":[{"term_id":27,"user_id":3,"is_guest":0,"slug":"afnanwasif","display_name":"Web Desk","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/cbec8328241e98fefcd32e00f20f7a6b502086a0b95d395db4b1565c51681914?s=96&d=mm&r=g","author_category":"1","first_name":"Web","last_name":"Desk","user_url":"","job_title":"","description":""}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/diplomag.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1419","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/diplomag.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/diplomag.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diplomag.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diplomag.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1419"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/diplomag.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1419\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1420,"href":"https:\/\/diplomag.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1419\/revisions\/1420"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diplomag.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1262"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/diplomag.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1419"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diplomag.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1419"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diplomag.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1419"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diplomag.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=1419"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}