KARACHI: Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari on Sunday called on India to immediately restore the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in accordance with international obligations on the occasion of World Water Day.
World Water Day is an annual United Nations (UN) observance day held on 22 March that highlights the importance of fresh water and is used to advocate for the sustainable management of freshwater resources.
India announced in April last year that it was holding the IWT, which provides water for 80 percent Pakistani farms, “in abeyance” after a gun attack in Indian-administered Kashmir killed more than 26 tourists. New Delhi blamed the assault on Pakistan, Islamabad denied it.
In his message, President Zardari reiterated Pakistan’s condemnation of India’s unilateral suspension of the IWT and said this deliberate “weaponization of shared water resources” was a matter of deep concern for Islamabad.
“India’s decision to place the Treaty in abeyance, disrupt hydrological data-sharing and impede agreed mechanisms undermines both the letter and spirit of a long-standing international agreement that has governed equitable sharing of the Indus river system for over six decades,” he said.
“Such conduct threatens food and economic security, jeopardizes the livelihoods of millions who depend on these waters and sets a dangerous precedent for the management of transboundary resources under international law. I call on India to immediately restore full implementation of the Treaty in accordance with international obligations.”
The treaty, mediated by the World Bank, grants Pakistan rights to the Indus basin’s western rivers — Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab — for irrigation, drinking, and non-consumptive uses like hydropower, while India controls the eastern rivers — Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej — for unrestricted use but must not significantly alter their flow.
The April 2025 assault led to a four-day military conflict between the neighbors last May that saw them attack each other with fighter jets, missiles, drones and artillery before the United States-brokered a ceasefire. Tensions have remained high between the nuclear-armed neighbors.
Last month, Pakistan also took up the suspension of the decades-old water-sharing treaty with the president of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), urging action over the move.
Zardari said water sustains Pakistan’s agriculture, cities and natural environment and urged its careful use as pressures on water resources grow due to population demands and climate variability.
“Access to safe water and sanitation is a basic right recognized under our Constitution,” he said. “Ensuring reliable and safe water supply must remain a national priority.”
