Pakistan Urges UN Security Council to Press India Over Indus Waters Treaty
ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN — WEB DESK: Pakistan has again approached the United Nations Security Council, urging it to press India to fully implement the Indus Waters Treaty and comply with decisions issued under the treaty’s dispute-settlement mechanisms.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar raised the issue in a second letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, highlighting a recent ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration concerning the decades-old water-sharing agreement.
Pakistan said the Indus Waters Treaty remains in force and binding on both countries and called on India to resume treaty-mandated cooperation, communication, consultation, notification and data sharing.
Islamabad also urged the Security Council to call on New Delhi to refrain from measures that could stop, divert, restrict, manipulate or otherwise interfere with water flows allocated to Pakistan under the treaty.
The letter referred to proceedings concerning India’s Ratle Hydroelectric Plant. Pakistan said an interim order had placed restrictions on certain construction work pending a determination by a neutral expert on whether the project’s design complies with treaty requirements.
Pakistan described the Indus Basin as vital to the lives and livelihoods of nearly 250 million people, saying the river system plays a central role in agriculture, food security, economic activity and environmental sustainability.
Islamabad warned that disputes over shared water resources could have consequences extending beyond a bilateral legal disagreement and could affect humanitarian, economic and regional security conditions.
Pakistan has repeatedly challenged India’s decision to place the treaty in abeyance. India, meanwhile, has maintained that the treaty will remain in abeyance, linking its position to its allegations of cross-border terrorism by Pakistan. Pakistan rejects those allegations.
The Indus Waters Treaty was signed by Pakistan and India in 1960, with the World Bank playing a role in its conclusion. It established a framework governing the use of the Indus river system and mechanisms for resolving disputes between the two countries.
Pakistan has asked for its latest communication to be circulated as an official Security Council document under the agenda item concerning India and Pakistan.
