Pakistan to protect its rightful water share: Ishaq Dar

ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said that Pakistan will take every appropriate steps to safeguard its due share of water, guaranteed by the Indus Waters Treaty.

Chaired a high-level meeting following India’s unilateral and unlawful decision to put the Indus Waters Treaty in Abeyance, Ishaq Dar said that the action went against international law, established standards of interstate relations, and the terms of the Treaty itself.

He stressed that the Indus Waters Treaty is critical to regional stability and its sanctity must be preserved.

Ishaq Dar also condemned the Indian attempts to weaponize water and said that the waters of the Indus River System remain a lifeline for Pakistan’s 240 million people.

The deputy prime minister reiterated that Pakistan will continue to advocate for the full implementation of the Indus Waters Treaty to ensure protection of its water rights and the well-being of its people.

The meeting was attended by the Ministers for Law and Justice and Water Resources, Attorney General, senior officials and technical experts.

Pakistan has vowed befitting response to any misadventure by India under the garb of Pahalgam false flag operation in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

Khawaja Asif said that India has been trying to exit the Indus Waters Treaty for a long time, adding that Pakistan will not hesitate to respond if India takes any hostile action.

He made it clear that the Indus Waters Treaty, which has the World Bank as a guarantor, does not allow India to make unilateral decisions. He said that the treaty will be a top agenda item in the upcoming National Security Committee meeting.