Pakistan has censured India for “weaponising water”, with Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal saying that New Delhi abruptly and intentionally discharged the torrents from its dams.
“India has started using water as a weapon,” Iqbal said while speaking on Geo News‘ programme “Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath” as he reflected on the wide-scale flooding in Punjab, which has left vast swathes of land inundated due to the overflowing of Ravi, Sutlej and Chenab rivers.
With at least seven people losing their lives in Punjab’s Gujranwala Division due to flooding, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has advised Sindh’s Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Sindh to initiate the evacuation of vulnerable communities residing along the katcha (riverine) areas and low-lying belts of the Indus River and its tributaries.
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Wednesday issued a series of directives to provincial and district authorities to accelerate relief and rehabilitation efforts in flood-affected areas.
The chief minister has ordered the field presence of commissioners and deputy commissioners, along with immediate documentation of damage caused to homes and crops.
She directed the district administrations to restrict people from entering flood zones.
Separately, speaking in a video statement while supervising rescue and relief efforts in Kartarpur, Iqbal termed the water discharge as a “worst example” of water aggression by India.
“India stores water on rivers and suddenly releases it,” the minister remarked, adding that New Delhi’s water aggression posed a threat to lives and properties.
“Some issues are beyond national disputes and political differences. Countries should put all differences aside and ensure cooperation on the issue of water resources.
India has also made natural disasters a source of politics. India did not share information with Pakistan in a timely manner,” he remarked, adding that New Delhi’s failure to do so was “extremely regrettable and inhumane”.
The minister’s remarks refer to the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) which binds both countries to share information with each other on water discharge. However, the treaty has been put in abeyance by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government in the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) in April.
However, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in June, in a unanimous judgment binding on both countries, issued a Supplemental Award in the IWT case and stated that New Delhi could not unilaterally suspend the accord.
The arbitration court’s ruling confirmed that India’s unilateral actions could not undermine the jurisdiction of either the court of arbitration or the Neutral Expert in proceedings under the IWT.
Although India reached out to Pakistan to warn about a potential flood situation — due to water discharge — the move was carried out via diplomatic channels and not through the bilateral commission as required by the IWT.
