Pakistan Warns India’s IWT Suspension Threatens Water and Food Security

NEW YORK -UNS: Pakistan has warned the United Nations that India’s unilateral decision to place the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in abeyance poses a serious threat to Pakistan’s water security, food production, and regional stability.
The warning was issued by Pakistan’s Acting Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Usman Jadoon, during the Global Water Bankruptcy Policy Roundtable hosted by the Permanent Mission of Canada and the United Nations University (UNU).
Ambassador Jadoon said India’s decision, taken in April last year, was followed by material violations of the treaty, including unannounced disruptions to downstream water flows and the withholding of critical hydrological data. He described the move as a deliberate “weaponisation of water” and stressed that Pakistan’s position on the treaty remains firm.
“Pakistan’s position is unequivocal; the Indus Waters Treaty remains legally intact and does not allow unilateral suspension or modification,” he said.
He noted that for more than six decades, the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty has provided a reliable framework for the equitable and predictable management of the Indus River basin. The basin, he added, supports one of the world’s largest contiguous irrigation systems, supplies over 80 percent of Pakistan’s agricultural water needs, and sustains the livelihoods of more than 240 million people.
Ambassador Jadoon warned that water insecurity has become a systemic global risk, affecting food security, energy systems, public health, livelihoods, and overall human security.
Highlighting Pakistan’s vulnerability, he said the country is a semi-arid, lower-riparian, and climate-exposed state facing multiple challenges, including floods, droughts, rapid glacier melt, groundwater depletion, and population growth—factors that are placing severe strain on already stressed water resources.
He said Pakistan is working to enhance water resilience through integrated water planning, flood protection measures, irrigation system rehabilitation, groundwater recharge, and ecosystem restoration. He pointed to initiatives such as Living Indus and Recharge Pakistan as key national efforts.
Ambassador Jadoon emphasized that systemic water risks cannot be addressed by any country acting alone, particularly in shared river basins. He stressed that predictability, transparency, and cooperation in transboundary water governance are essential for the survival of downstream populations.