Excellencies,

Distinguished Ambassadors/High Commissioners,

Dear friends and colleagues, 

A very good evening to you all!

Thank you for making time for this urgent briefing. I have requested this meeting to bring to your attention a situation that threatens peace and stability in South Asia.

We witnessed in April this year, India’s unilateral abeyance of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in gross contravention of international law, especially Article 26 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties.

But what we are witnessing now is material breaches by India that strike at the heart of the Indus Waters Treaty, with escalating consequences both for regional stability and sanctity of international law.

We have observed unusual, abrupt variations in the flow of River Chenab twice this year, during 30 April to 21 May 2025; and in the past week from 7 to 15 December 2025. These variations in water flow are of extreme concern for Pakistan, as they point to unilateral release of water by India into River Chenab.

India has released this water without any prior notification or any data or information sharing with Pakistan, as required under the treaty.

India’s manipulation of water has prompted our Indus Water Commissioner to write a letter to his Indian counterpart seeking clarification on the matter, as provided for under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT). More information on this technical aspect would be shared with you by our Secretary Water Resources who has joined us for this meeting.

But what I would like to specifically stress here is that India’s most recent action clearly exemplifies the weaponization of water, to which Pakistan has been consistently drawing attention of the international community.

India’s manipulation of water, at a critical time of our agriculture cycle, directly threatens the lives and livelihoods, as well as food and economic security of our citizens.

We expect India to respond to the queries raised by Pakistan’s Indus Water Commissioner, refrain from any unilateral manipulations of river flows, and fulfill all its obligations in letter and spirit under the IWT provisions.

The recent violation of the treaty by India is just one example. India has consistently attempted to undermine the treaty in a systemic manner.

India’s construction of hydropower projects such as Kishanganga and Ratle involves design features that blatantly violate Treaty’s technical specifications.

India continues to build illegal dams in sheer disregard of the Treaty obligations, to impose ‘fait accompli.’

With building of dams, Indian capacity to store and manipulate water is also increasing, which endangers Pakistan’s security, economy and livelihood of 240 million people of Pakistan.

India has also halted sharing advance information, hydrological data, and joint oversight required by the Treaty, which has exposed Pakistan to floods and droughts.

Such illegal and irresponsible Indian conduct has all the potential to trigger a humanitarian crisis in Pakistan.

The ongoing water manipulation by India gravely contravenes International Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law, while hindering progress on Sustainable Development Goals on poverty and hunger.

If India is allowed to violate Treaty obligations with impunity, we are setting a dangerous precedent.

Alarmingly, India is now subverting the Treaty’s own dispute resolution mechanism. By refusing to participate in the Court of Arbitration and Neutral Expert Proceedings India is pursuing a deliberate strategy to sabotage the well-established arbitration process under the treaty provisions.

Pakistan would like to reiterate that the IWT is a binding legal instrument that has made an invaluable contribution to peace and stability in South Asia. Its violation, on the one hand, threatens the inviolability of international treaties, and, on the other, it poses serious threats to regional peace and security, principles of good neighborliness and norms that govern inter-state relations.

The Permanent Court of Arbitration, in its recent decisions of June and August 2025, reaffirmed the continuing validity of the IWT and its binding dispute-resolution mechanisms.

These rulings leave no ambiguity. The Indus Waters Treaty is alive, and its provisions remain binding on the parties. Indian impunity must not be accepted by the international community.

We also take note in this regard, the communication by several UN Special Procedures and Mandate Holders addressed to India in which serious legal, human rights, and humanitarian concerns have been expressed regarding Indian illegal actions pertaining to IWT.

(The communication has been made public on 15 December). 

“On 21 June 2025, India’s Home Minister declared that India would “never” restore the Treaty and would instead divert waters to India’s Rajasthan via a new canal.

Pakistan’s National Security Committee has declared that any attempt to stop or divert the flow of water to Pakistan under the Treaty will be considered as an “Act of War”.

“...we are concerned that India’s response to the Pahalgam attack appears to (1) have violated the rights to life and security of person, as a result of the unlawful use of force on Pakistan’s territory, and (2) risk violating the rights to work and livelihood, an adequate standard of living (including the rights to water and food), and a clean, healthy and sustainable environment and development, as a result of the actions that may be taken to disrupt the flow of water to Pakistan under the Indus Waters Treaty.”

“Abeyance” of the Indus Waters Treaty

“We are deeply concerned that any disruption of the flow of water to Pakistan that may result from holding the Indus Waters Treaty in “abeyance” could severely affect the human rights of millions of people in Pakistan who rely on the river for agriculture, industry, drinking water and sanitation, and healthy ecosystems, by undermining their rights to work and livelihood, water, food, an adequate standard of living, a clean and healthy environment, economic self-determination of peoples, and the right to development.”

The international community must take notice of India’s continued disregard of a bilateral treaty and counsel India to act responsibly in accordance with international law and established norms.

Belligerent statements coming from the Indian leadership clearly demonstrate Indian intentions and designs to weaponize water aimed at inflicting harm on Pakistan.

We have repeatedly brought this situation to the attention of the UN Security Council, most recently in my letters to the UN Security Council’s President on 11 December 2025.

I have similarly written to the UN Secretary General as well as the President of the UN General Assembly to play their due role.

Let me reassure you that Pakistan remains committed to peaceful resolution of disputes and issues with India, but will not compromise on the existential water rights of its people.

We urge the international community, especially the UN Security Council members, to take immediate steps to address this situation.

We also hope that in your national capacities, you will call on India for the immediate restoration of the IWT, stop weaponization of water, uphold international law and treaty obligations, and refrain from undermining peace and stability of South Asia.

 “Water is life and cannot be weaponized.”

Islamabad

December 18, 2025