‘Could Weaponise Water’: Pakistan Minister Fears India’s Next Move As Indus Treaty Stays In Abeyance

News world ‘Could Weaponise Water’: Pakistan Minister Fears India’s Next Move As Indus Treaty Stays In Abeyance

‘Could Weaponise Water’: Pakistan Minister Fears India’s Next Move As Indus Treaty Stays In Abeyance

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Last Updated: August 23, 2026, 09:37 IST

Iqbal said Pakistan’s ongoing construction of dams could provide a buffer against potential disruptions, while stressing the need for diplomatic efforts.

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Speaking at an Asia Society event, Iqbal said India had unilaterally placed the treaty in abeyance despite it being an international agreement.

Pakistan Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal has said India’s decision to keep the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance has presented Islamabad with a fresh challenge, warning that New Delhi could potentially use water as leverage by restricting supplies during crop seasons and releasing them when demand is lower.

Speaking at an Asia Society event, Iqbal said India had unilaterally placed the treaty in abeyance despite it being an international agreement.

“It’s untouchable because it is an international agreement and this time around the Indian government has unilaterally held it in abeyance and that sort of creates a new challenge that first time probably water has been weaponized in modern history and we now face this threat that you know they can use water as a weapon to deny Pakistan water when it needs for its crops and release it when we don’t need it," he said.

Iqbal said Pakistan’s ongoing construction of dams could provide a buffer against potential disruptions, while stressing the need for diplomatic efforts.

“So these dams that we are constructing would also be our buffer, but I think at the same time we cannot let this go unnoticed. We are using all the diplomatic," he added.

Pakistan’s PM Shehbaz Sharif On India And IWT

Iqbal’s comments come as tensions between India and Pakistan continue over the Indus Waters Treaty, with Islamabad repeatedly voicing concerns over New Delhi’s decision to suspend the pact.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had also addressed the issue ahead of the country’s Independence Day, warning India against any move that could threaten Pakistan’s water supplies.

Sharif said Pakistan wanted peace rather than conflict, but cautioned that its preference for peace should not be interpreted as weakness.

“Every drop of water is our red line," Sharif said, as quoted by the Associated Press.

He warned that Pakistan would respond if its access to water was threatened, while adding that any challenge to the country’s sovereignty would invite a strong response.

Sharif’s remarks followed the four-day military conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbours in May 2025. The confrontation came after the April 22, 2025, Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, in which 26 people were killed.

India’s position on Indus Waters Treaty

India placed the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance following the Pahalgam terror attack. The Cabinet Committee on Security met on April 23, a day after the attack, after which New Delhi announced its decision.

India said the circumstances and conditions under which the treaty had been negotiated had fundamentally changed.

New Delhi has maintained that the agreement cannot operate in its current form and will remain in abeyance until Pakistan “credibly and irrevocably" ends its support for cross-border terrorism.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also defended the move, saying “water and blood cannot flow together".

The government has described the decision as part of the measures taken in response to the Pahalgam attack.

India and Pakistan subsequently exchanged missile, drone and other strikes in May 2025, before a ceasefire ended the four-day military confrontation.

New Delhi has continued to maintain its position on the treaty.

“India’s position on the Indus Water Treaty is consistent. The IWT stands in abeyance in response to Pakistan’s continued sponsorship of cross-border terrorism. Pakistan must credibly and irrevocably abjure its support for cross-border terrorism," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had said.

His remarks came after a Pakistani minister warned India over the treaty, saying Islamabad would “cut off those hands" that he alleged were seeking to control the Indus water.

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Key Questions Answered Powered by Ask News18 What are the long-term implications of the treaty's abeyance? The abeyance of the Indus Waters Treaty has intensified Pakistan's water security concerns, with its financial capital Karachi experiencing severe water shortages and supply disruptions. Pakistan fears India may weaponise water, and officials are concerned that India's suspension of the treaty could alter long-standing water-sharing dynamics and escalate regional tensions. India, meanwhile, is accelerating hydropower projects on the Chenab River to increase its utilisation of waters governed by the treaty. Could this water dispute escalate into a larger conflict? Pakistan has warned that India's unilateral actions affecting river flows could escalate regional tensions. Pakistan's Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination accused India of trying to politicise shared water resources. Pakistan has also stated that any measures to stop the flow of water belonging to Pakistan under the Indus Waters Treaty would be considered an "act of war". Powered by Ask News18

About the Author Aanchal Sinha Sub Editor Aanchal is the Sub-Editor at News18.com, with more than four years of experience in national and international news. My work involves covering breaking news, politics, current affairs and developments... Read More

Location : Pakistan

First Published: August 23, 2026, 09:37 IST

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