Islamabad:
India alerted Pakistan about an imminent flood despite the maintenance of the 1960s (IWT) Water Treaty (IWT) – a decision that Islamabad said on Monday should have been routed through conventional bonds instead of diplomatic channels.
India shared flood data on Sunday morning thanks to its high commission in Islamabad, according to officials here. The information was transmitted by a letter from the Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad.
“The High Commissariat of India in Pakistan presents its compliments to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to the Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, in Islamabad and has the honor to transmit the following flood data. Name of the river and the site: Tawi, Jammu. Date / time: August 24, 2025, 10.00 hours, Flood data: High Flood,” Tribun Express.
It was the first time that India has shared data on floods with Pakistan because it unilaterally suspended the ICTI after the attack on Pahalgam in April. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the development later, but questioned the Indian decision to bypass the IWT.
“On August 24, 2025, India communicated flood warnings through diplomatic channels, rather than through the Industry Water Commission, as required by the Industry Water Treaty (IWT),” noted a reading of the foreigners’ office. “India is forced to fully comply with all the provisions of the treaty.”
The press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also declared that the unilateral declaration of India has the pending TFP constituted a serious violation of international law and could have significant negative consequences for peace and stability in South Asia.
An official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told L’Express PK Press Club that India seemed to have deliberately omitted the reference to ITC to set a new standard with Pakistan. India, according to the official, tried to bypass the provisions of the IWT.
An anonymous official in New Delhi told Reuters News Agency that India shared flood data with Pakistan for “humanitarian reasons” and not by the obligations of the treaty. The news agency also declared that the Indian Ministry of External Affairs had not responded to its request for comments.
Following the Indian alert, the Punjab disaster management province (PDMA) published a flood alert, warning that the increase in waters in the Tawi river was likely to affect levels in Gujarat and Sialkot via the Chenab river. District administrations have been asked to activate flood surveillance and early alert systems and ensure a coordinated response.
Signed in 1960 with the mediation of the World Bank, the TFI gave rights to Pakistan on Western rivers – Industs, Jhelum and Chenab for irrigation, alcohol consumption and non -dedicated uses such as hydroelectricity. India controls oriental rivers, including Ravi, Beas and Sutlej, but can also use Western rivers for limited production and irrigation of electricity, provided that it does not considerably modify their flow.
India put the IWT in “Abeyance” in April after having linked the deadly attack on Indian tourists illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (iiojk) in Pakistan. Tensions intensified in May at the worst military confrontation between nuclear rivals over the decades.
However, the permanent court of arbitration in its recent decision concluded that India could not refuse Pakistan its share of water and stressed that the projects of series of people were to be strictly respected at the provisions of the Treaty.
Earlier, the Hague -based court also judged that no part of countries at the IWT could unilaterally move away from the water sharing agreement or modify its provisions. Pakistan has repeatedly warned that any attempt by India to deny the country its share of water maturity would be considered as an act of war.
(With reuters entrance)
