Pakistan has made four formal appeals to India to reconsider the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), even as the neighbouring country stares at a looming water crisis following New Delhi’s stern response to the Pahalgam terror attack.
Sources familiar with the development confirmed that four separate letters have been sent by Pakistan’s Ministry of Water Resources Secretary Syed Ali Murtaza to India’s Jal Shakti Ministry, which were subsequently forwarded to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
The diplomatic outreach comes in the wake of India’s decision to place the World Bank-brokered treaty in abeyance after the April 22 terror strike in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, that left 26 civilians dead—most of them tourists. The move was taken after consultation with the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), India’s top body for strategic decisions.
Pakistan, sources said, is “desperate” to restore the treaty as the country is grappling with severe water scarcity. The suspension of the treaty, according to Islamabad, poses an existential threat to its agricultural, hydrological, and energy stability.
India, however, has reiterated its position—“blood and water cannot flow together”. Officials insist that any future discussion on the IWT will be contingent upon Pakistan “credibly and irrevocably” ending cross-border terrorism. “The treaty was framed in goodwill and friendship, but Pakistan betrayed its spirit by fostering terrorism,” sources said.
Also read: Pak rebuffs Modi’s charge on Pahalgam, calls claim ‘baseless'
Despite Operation Sindoor—a military response that saw Indian forces destroy terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir—Pakistan continued to press for the IWT’s reinstatement. It has since floated peace overtures, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif indicating a willingness to resume bilateral dialogue.
Multiple Pakistani leaders have acknowledged the water crisis. Senator Syed Ali Zafar warned, “We would die of hunger if we don’t resolve the water crisis now. The Indus Basin is our lifeline… this is like a water bomb hanging over us and we must defuse it.”
India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, P Harish, told the Security Council on May 24 that “far-reaching fundamental changes” such as terrorism, climate change, and energy needs necessitate a revision of the 1960 treaty. “Pakistan has continued to consistently block any changes to this infrastructure… while the fundamental basis of the treaty is a spirit of goodwill and friendship, Pakistan has inflicted on India three wars and thousands of terror attacks,” Harish said.
India had requested discussions to modify the treaty over the last two years, but these were stalled by Islamabad. The IWT governs the sharing of six rivers—Indus, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej—and has long been cited as a rare example of functional bilateral cooperation. However, officials now describe its future as uncertain, contingent on significant shifts in Pakistan’s policy on terror.
Follow us
