By Tahir Khan
ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar Monday reiterated Pakistan’s position on India’s decision to hold the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in abeyance and said any move to “divert the flow of water would be considered an act of war”.
India has decided to suspend the decades-old IWT with Pakistan indefinitely following the attack in occupied Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, in which 26 people, including one foreign national, were killed.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced on several occasions that Pakistan is willing to participate in any neutral, transparent, and credible investigation into the attack. However, he criticised India for levelling baseless allegations without a credible investigation or evidence.
Read more: Arbitration court says Indus Waters Treaty suspension is illegal
Dar, who is also the foreign minister, said Pakistan remains determined to protect its rights and entitlements under the IWT. He added that his country “firmly rejects attempts by India to weaponise water in pursuit of its narrow geopolitical objectives”.
He was speaking at the commemoration of 52nd Anniversary of the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI). Islamabad-based diplomats and retired ambassadors were also among the participants.
“India’s illegal and unilateral action of putting the Treaty ‘in abeyance’ has no validity. Pakistan will continue to mobilise all relevant international and legal fora to highlight India’s violations of international law and the Treaty’s provisions,” the deputy prime minister said.
NEW NORMAL
“We have made clear that any action by India to divert the flow of water would be considered an act of war. Pakistan will not allow India to hold its 240 million people hostage to hydro-terrorism,” he further said.
Dar told the gathering Pakistan swiftly retaliated to the Indian escalation with a “quid pro quo plus” response – which is the “new normal” set by Pakistan if India insists on its dangerous notion of ‘limited war under the nuclear threshold.’
He was of the view that the outcome of this four-day war has once again underscored the reality that India can neither intimidate nor coerce Pakistan. “New Delhi must, therefore, rethink its present hubristic and misguided policies that threaten peace and undermine security in South Asia.”
AFGHANISTAN
In his speech, the deputy prime minister stressed that the Taliban government should not allow using its soil against Pakistan.
“Having made sincere efforts in Afghanistan’s interest, it is our legitimate expectation that the Afghan interim government would take all steps necessary to ensure that Afghanistan’s soil is not used for terrorism against any state, particularly Pakistan,” Dar said.
The statement came two days after a deadly attack on security forces in North Waziristan martyred 13 soldiers, according to the military.
Pakistan insists that the outlawed TTP and other groups operate from Afghanistan.
Dar said this is in Afghanistan’s own interest as it will strengthen their internal security and improve their relations with neighbours, principally Pakistan.
“If the Afghan interim government works with complete sincerity and wholeheartedly, the fruits of our economic cooperation, efforts for regional integration, and connectivity would be enormous. Not only the people of Afghanistan will benefit tremendously but also the dividends of shared prosperity would extend to Central Asia and beyond,” he said.
He said Pakistan has purposefully made efforts to reset Pakistan-Afghanistan relations on a positive trajectory.
Dar referred to his visit to Afghanistan on April 19 and the China- Pakistan-Afghanistan trilateral ministerial meeting on May 20, 2025 in Beijing, which he said paved the way for a qualitative change.
He said Pakistan has agreed to upgrade diplomatic representation in Kabul to Ambassadorial level and extend CPEC to Afghanistan.