Pakistan warns India could turn water into a weapon amid treaty suspension

At a recent Asia Society event, Pakistan minister Ahsan Iqbal accused India of turning the Indus Waters Treaty into a tool of coercion by unilaterally suspending it, a move he described as the first instance of water being weaponised in history. He warned that India could deny water to Pakistani farms when needed and release it at will, jeopardising the food security of the country’s 250 million citizens. Iqbal urged diplomatic channels to prevent a water-driven war, noting that the treaty had been respected for nearly seven decades.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has also warned of a “direct response” if India does not restore the agreement, labeling the suspension an illegal act. The treaty was put on hold after the Pahalgam terror attack in April of the previous year. Iqbal called on South Asian nations to focus on development, poverty, illiteracy and youth challenges rather than water disputes.