- Indus Waters Treaty cannot be unilaterally suspended: Jadoon.
- It says systemic water risks cannot be managed by any nation alone.
- Pakistan urges respect for water law before 2026 UN conference.
Islamabad has warned that New Delhi’s unilateral decision to keep the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) on hold has created an unprecedented crisis for Pakistan’s water security and regional stability.
The concerns were raised by Pakistan’s Acting Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Usman Jadoon, while speaking at the Global Water Bankruptcy Policy Roundtable organized by the Permanent Mission of Canada and the United Nations University (UNU).
Ambassador Jadoon said India’s decision, made in April last year, was followed by significant violations of the treaty, including unannounced disruptions to downstream water flows and the withholding of hydrological information.
He described India’s decision as a deliberate use of water as a weapon and said Pakistan’s position on the Indus Waters Treaty is unequivocal.
“Pakistan’s position is unequivocal; the Treaty remains legally intact and does not allow for any unilateral suspension or modification,” he added.
Ambassador Jadoon said that for more than six decades, the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 has served as a proven framework for equitable and predictable management of the Indus River Basin.
Highlighting the importance of the basin, he said it supports one of the largest contiguous irrigation systems in the world, provides more than 80% of Pakistan’s agricultural water needs and supports the lives and livelihoods of more than 240 million people.
The ambassador said water insecurity has become a systemic risk in all regions, affecting food production, energy systems, public health, livelihoods and human security.
Referring to the situation in Pakistan, he said the country is a semi-arid, climate-vulnerable, low-lying state facing flooding, drought, accelerated melting of glaciers, groundwater depletion and rapid population growth, all of which are putting immense pressure on already stressed water systems.
He said Pakistan is taking steps to strengthen water resilience through integrated planning, flood protection, irrigation rehabilitation, groundwater replenishment and ecosystem restoration. He cited initiatives like Living Indus and Recharge Pakistan in this regard.
Ambassador Jadoon said systemic water risks cannot be managed by any nation alone, particularly in shared river basins. He said predictability, transparency and cooperation in transboundary water governance are issues of survival for downstream populations.
The ambassador added that water insecurity must be recognized as a systemic global risk in the run-up to the 2026 United Nations Water Conference, and called for cooperation and respect for international water law to be placed at the center of shared water governance to ensure the protection of vulnerable downstream communities.
