- India’s acts risk creating consequences for river systems: Malik.
- IWT cannot be suspended unilaterally: information minister.
- Global community recognised Pakistan’s stance on IWT: Tarar.
Federal Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination Musadik Malik on Monday said Pakistan was elevating the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) issue beyond a bilateral dispute, framing it as a global matter of justice, fundamental rights and the protection of downstream nations’ access to water.
Addressing a joint press conference with Information Minister Attaullah Tarar in Islamabad, Malik said Pakistan’s position had been endorsed within the United Nations and international arbitration forums.
According to the minister, many observers attributed floods and droughts solely to climate change, but argued that another factor also determined whether farmers received water or suffered drought.
“There is a tap whose handle is in the hands of the prime minister of our neighbouring country, who says not a single drop of water will be allowed to flow into Pakistan,” he said.
According to Malik, between 40% and 50% of Pakistan’s population depended on agriculture for employment, the sector contributed between 20% 25% of the country’s economy, and Pakistan’s food security depended entirely on water availability.
“Our food security, our economy and the livelihoods of millions are linked to this water,” he said, adding that decisions affecting river flows should not rest in the hands of another country.
He argued that if upstream countries were allowed to stop or manipulate river flows to downstream states, it would create consequences for river systems across the world.
“If this becomes acceptable here, what about all the other countries that depend on rivers flowing across borders?” he asked.
Malik said the upcoming seminar on IWT would focus not only on the water treaty with India, but also on justice and fundamental rights.
“This conference is about justice,” he said. “This conference is about rights. It will decide whether children living downstream around the world have a right to water.”
Concern over India’s hydropower projects
Malik said that concerns had previously existed that a series of run-of-the-river hydropower projects could enable India to temporarily retain enough water at critical agricultural periods to damage crops downstream.
He said international rulings had already accepted Pakistan’s position that water storage associated with run-of-the-river projects was subject to technical engineering limits and could not be carried out without restriction.
Malik said recent events had demonstrated that while water could not be withheld indefinitely, even short-term interruptions reinforced earlier concerns regarding the timing of river flows needed for agriculture.
He stressed that Pakistan also had a responsibility to improve its own water management by expanding storage and regulating seasonal flows.
“The purpose of dams is not merely storage,” he said. “Their purpose is to regulate water so that farmers receive it when crops actually need it.”
Addressing the presser, Minister Tarar maintained the IWT cannot be suspended unilaterally, adding that the agreement had been formally recognised by both countries.
The information minister said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir had consistently maintained that water was a matter of Pakistan’s survival.
He said water experts from around the world would participate in the seminar being held in Pakistan, describing it as the first international seminar of its kind.
Tarar added that the international community had recognised Pakistan’s position on the Indus Waters Treaty.
