Islamabad:
Pakistan will take all appropriate measures to protect its share of water maturity, guaranteed by the Indus Water Treaty (IWT), said Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, who chaired a high -level meeting on Monday to discuss the country’s strategy following the Indian move in the critical water agreement.
The meeting was assisted by ministers for law and justice and water resources, the Attorney General, senior officials and technical experts, according to an official document published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The meeting was summoned to prepare Pakistan’s strategy after India suspended the TWT of 1960, following an attack on tourists in the Indian Pahalgam region illegally occupied Jammu-et-Cachemire (IIOJK) on April 22.
The Indian decision was one of its measures programs aimed at penalizing Pakistan for its alleged role in the murder of tourists in the contested region. Islamabad vehemently denied the charges of New Delhi and proposed to be part of any “neutral, transparent and credible” investigation.
Although there are fears of potential military benefits from the current crisis, the most important problem at the moment is the fate of the TIV which governs the sharing of water of 6 rivers that cross India.
The Treaty negotiated by the World Bank has resisted wars, several phases of tensions and other crises between the two countries.
But for the first time, the Indian government decided to use water as a weapon, a decision that sparked a strong response from Islamabad, which warned that any attempt to divert, stop or reduce water from Pakistan would be treated as an act of war.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, according to the press release, stressed that Pakistan would take all appropriate measures to protect its share of water maturity, guaranteed by the treaty.
He stressed that the unilateral and illegal decision of India to challenge the pending treaty has counterbalanced the established standards of interstate relations, international law and the proper provisions of SPI.
He stressed that the treaty is essential for regional stability and that its holiness must be preserved. Noting that the waters of the Industry river system remain a rescue buoy for the 240 million people in Pakistan, it deplored Indian water arms attempts.
He reiterated that Pakistan will continue to defend the complete implementation of the treaty to ensure the protection of its water rights and the well-being of its people.
The IWT was signed in 1960 between India and Pakistan, with the World Bank as a broker and guarantor. He allocates oriental rivers – Ravi, Beas, Sutlej – India and Western Rivers – Indidus, Jhelum, Chenab -to Pakistan.
India receives around 33 million acres or 20% of the total of 168 million water acres, of which it uses 93 to 94%. The remaining unused water flows towards Pakistan.
According to the officials, the treaty does not have a unilateral output clause. Article 12 of the IWT clearly stipulates that “the provisions of this treaty … will continue in force until they end with a duly ratified treaty concluded … between the two governments”.
Under international law, in particular the “Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (1969)”, a State cannot withdraw from a treaty unless the parties consent or the Treaty itself allows it.
The IWT is specific to the State, not specific to the regime and legally binding. India cannot revoke the treaty unilaterally under article 12 (4) of the IWT.
The IWT provides a structured mechanism of dispute settlement, in particular bilateral talks, a neutral expert (Annex F) and an arbitration court (Annex G). Pakistan can invoke article 9 to increase the question.
Experts are of the opinion that India cannot physically suspend the TFI without massive long -term infrastructure projects. According to experts, the natural flow of the river, the geographic constraints and the risks of military climbing make a unilateral action strategically impracticable.
They also emphasize that the unilateral suspension of the treaty would violate international law and will establish a precedent dangerous for the upper residents like China. China could follow the precedent of India, suspended water flow to India in the Brahmaputra river.
Experts believe that the suspension of TFI would be a serious threat to Pakistan water safety, an impact on agriculture, drinking water and food supply, which has probably prompted Islamabad to pursue legal and diplomatic appeals through the mechanisms of the UN, the CIJ and the World Bank.
Pakistan can also address the United Nations Security Council under article 35 of the United Nations Charter, which allows any Member State of the UN to carry a dispute or a situation likely to endanger international peace and security for the attention of the Council.
Pakistan can form alliances with another lower resident – Nepale, Bangladesh, Bhutan – for collective water diplomacy. The IWT served as a stabilizer force in South Asia, its disturbance could increase geopolitical tensions, risk environmental degradation and destabilize millions that depend on the industrial basin, according to officials.
Pakistan has already warned that the unilateral suspension could destabilize key bilateral agreements such as the Simla agreement (1972), the Karachi agreement (1949) and essential CBMs, signaling India’s desire to bypass structured and potentially unpleasant diplomacy in the broader Indo-Pakistani diplomatic framework.
