Pakistan's New Indus Treaty Push: From Bilawal Bhutto To China, Global Voices Target India's Stand

Last Updated:July 01, 2026, 15:03 IST

India has maintained that Pakistan cannot expect normal treaty obligations to continue while sponsoring terrorism against India, asserting that "blood & water cannot flow together”

Pakistan has intensified its diplomatic offensive against India’s decision to keep the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in abeyance, with its top political leadership, ministers and foreign experts using an international conference in Islamabad to accuse New Delhi of “weaponising water" and violating international law.

Speaking at the International Indus Waters Treaty Conference in Islamabad, Pakistan’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister Ishaq Dar warned India against what he described as attempts to undermine the 1960 treaty, asserting that shared rivers “must never be weaponised" and cautioning that any move to disrupt water flows could threaten regional peace.

Dar reiterated that Pakistan was prepared to defend its water rights “by all means" against what he termed illegal diversions, while information minister Atta Tarar described the Indus Waters Treaty as Pakistan’s “lifeline" rather than merely a bilateral agreement. He warned that Islamabad would respond effectively if India’s actions affected water flows into Pakistan.

The conference also saw Pakistan accusing India of creating uncertainty over the flow of the Chenab river. Pakistan’s Indus Commissioner claimed Islamabad had repeatedly sought clarifications from India over fluctuations in the river’s flow but had received no response. Pakistani officials also alleged that the suspension of water data-sharing arrangements had increased the risk of tensions over the treaty.

Former foreign minister and Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari adopted an equally combative tone, declaring that Pakistan would not tolerate what he called “water aggression". Calling India’s actions a national security threat, Bilawal asserted that Pakistan reserved “every option" to safeguard its rivers and vowed to continue fighting for the country’s water rights under the Indus Waters Treaty.

Pakistan’s climate change Minister Musadik Malik also criticised India’s decision to suspend the treaty, arguing that bypassing established international legal mechanisms undermined the global rules-based order. He maintained that no country could completely block Pakistan’s water supply.

Former foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar launched a sharp attack on India during the conference, alleging that New Delhi’s decision to place the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance reflected what she described as India’s transformation into a “rogue state." She claimed that suspending a treaty that had survived decades of conflict demonstrated that India no longer deserved to remain in the United Nations General Assembly.

The conference also featured several foreign policy experts who echoed Pakistan’s position. China’s Victor Gao, Vice President of the Center for China and Globalization (CCG), argued that blocking Pakistan’s water supply would amount to a violation of international law and urged the international community to ensure the protection of the Indus Waters Treaty.

American water security expert Laurie A Watkins warned that suspension of water data-sharing could turn the dispute into a broader regional security crisis. She maintained that no state could unilaterally absolve itself of treaty obligations and said arbitral awards remained binding irrespective of whether one party accepted them.

Russian expert Dr Roxolana Zigon similarly argued that using water as a strategic tool could destabilise South Asia and stressed the need to preserve the Indus Waters Treaty framework.

The conference marks Pakistan’s latest effort to internationalise the dispute over the Indus Waters Treaty after India suspended aspects of the agreement following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, citing Pakistan-sponsored cross-border terrorism. India has maintained that Pakistan cannot expect normal treaty obligations to continue while sponsoring terrorism against India, asserting that “blood and water cannot flow together".

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Manoj Gupta

Group Editor, Investigations & Security Affairs, Network18

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