Pakistan Warns India Against Breaching Water Treaty

(MENAFN) Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif issued a stern warning to India on Tuesday, cautioning against any effort to disrupt the flow of water to Pakistan in breach of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT).

Speaking at a ceremony marking International Youth Day in Islamabad, Sharif declared, “I want to tell the enemy today that if you threaten to hold our water, then keep this in mind that you cannot snatch even a single drop from Pakistan."

He added that any such move would provoke a strong response, stating, “If you attempt such a move, Pakistan will teach you a lesson you will never forget.”

India has not yet officially responded to Sharif’s statements.

His comments come shortly after a ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, which emphasized that India must “let flow” the waters of the western rivers for Pakistan’s “unrestricted use” as outlined in the 1960 agreement.

Earlier in April, New Delhi had placed the World Bank-mediated Indus Waters Treaty on hold, citing a deadly attack in Pahalgam, located in the Indian-administered region of Kashmir, that resulted in the deaths of 26 individuals.

The Indian government attributed the assault to Pakistan, a claim Islamabad rejected outright.

In response, Pakistan labeled any effort to cut its water supply as an “act of war” and stressed that the treaty cannot be revoked unilaterally.

Tensions escalated between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, leading to four days of armed exchanges across the border in May.

The situation was eventually de-escalated through a ceasefire mediated by US President Donald Trump.

For years, the two South Asian adversaries have been embroiled in disputes over hydroelectric developments on the Indus River and its connected waterways, which serve as critical resources for both nations.

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