Vienna/Geneva, 07 October (H.S.): Pakistan has once again sought to use the Indus Waters Treaty as leverage in its efforts to put pressure on India. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar warned India of serious consequences during the International Water Symposium in Vienna, while Pakistan’s First Secretary, Adil Mumtaz Khokhar, raised concerns at the United Nations in Geneva over what he described as the use of water as a political instrument.

Khokhar said that India’s actions concerning the Indus Waters Treaty amounted to the “weaponisation of water”. He warned that shared water resources should not be used as a means of exerting pressure, securing political advantage or pursuing conflict.

According to a report by The News, Dar made the remarks on Tuesday at the International Water Symposium organised under the auspices of the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna. He said that any attempt to deny Pakistan its share of the waters of the Indus system could have serious consequences for regional peace and security.

Dar said Islamabad knew how to protect what it regarded as its rights and interests. He stressed that there should be no misunderstanding about Pakistan’s determination to safeguard its interests under the Indus Waters Treaty and international law.

The Pakistani foreign minister also underlined the importance of the Indus River system to his country, saying that its waters were essential to the lives and livelihoods of more than 250 million people in Pakistan.

India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty in April last year following the terrorist attack on tourists in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. Relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbours subsequently deteriorated sharply, culminating in a military confrontation in May 2025.

In Geneva, Pakistan’s First Secretary Adil Mumtaz Khokhar presented Islamabad’s position during the 63rd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, where the council was considering a resolution concerning the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation.

The resolution, presented by Germany and Spain, was adopted without a vote.

Speaking during the proceedings, Khokhar said that countries sharing water resources also share responsibilities. He argued that cooperation over transboundary water resources between neighbouring states should not be viewed as a favour or concession, but as a shared responsibility.

“No upstream country can use water as a tool of political pressure or influence,” Khokhar said, stressing that water resources should be managed according to the principles of cooperation and mutual responsibility rather than being used as an instrument of political pressure.

Khokhar also described India’s unilateral action concerning the Indus Waters Treaty as the “weaponisation of water”. He maintained that water should never be used to exert pressure, secure political gains or serve as an instrument of warfare.

Pakistan’s parallel statements in Vienna and Geneva reflect Islamabad’s continuing effort to internationalise its concerns over the Indus Waters Treaty and frame the issue in terms of regional security, international law, human rights and the management of shared water resources.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar