Deputy Prime Minister of Pakistan Ishaq Dar on Tuesday said that the country rejects India’s decision to revoke the Indus Waters Treaty, adding that it “remains valid, binding and operative”. India suspended the 1960 treaty with Pakistan in April last year as part of retaliatory measures against Islamabad over the Pahalgam terror attack in February, which killed 26 people.
“No party can unilaterally suspend or terminate its obligations under a treaty that contains no such provision,” Dar claimed while addressing a seminar on the Indus Waters Treaty in Islamabad, local media reported.
He said the Indus Waters Treaty is not merely a water-sharing arrangement, but a "vital instrument of regional peace, stability and cooperation".
The minister further said the shared waters “must remain a bridge between nations, guided by cooperation, dialogue and respect for international law for the benefit of the present and future generations”.
He claimed that any attempt to deprive Pakistan of the waters “rightfully allocated” to it would have “profound consequences” for regional peace and security.
The Indus Waters Treaty was signed on September 19, 1960, after nine years of negotiations with the sole aim of managing issues related to cross-border rivers.
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