Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has warned that Islamabad could resort to military action if its water security is threatened, amid escalating tensions with India over the Indus Waters Treaty. In an interview with ARY News, Asif stated, 'The moment we feel that our national security, and water is part of our national security, is being threatened, we will go to war against India. Definitely.' He added that war would be considered if material evidence emerged that India was moving at an 'alarming speed' towards disrupting water supplies.
Context of the Warning
Asif's remarks come more than a year after India suspended the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, following the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir that killed 26 people. India's decision remains in effect until Pakistan stops funding cross-border terrorism. The treaty, brokered by the World Bank, allocates approximately 80% of the Indus water basin to Pakistan, which sustains up to 80% of the country's agricultural land.
Asif accused India of weaponising water, manipulating the flows of the Chenab River, and withholding vital hydrological data. He noted that Pakistan had historically monitored Indian projects under the treaty through physical inspections, with Pakistani teams conducting around 115 inspections. However, he admitted he did not have the latest information on developments over the past year.
Triggering Statements
Asif's comments followed a clip of India's Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil claiming that the flow of Indus water to Pakistan could be stopped completely by June 2028. This statement heightened Pakistani concerns over water security.
Pakistan's Internal Water Crisis
The warning comes against the backdrop of a severe water shortage affecting nearly one-third of Pakistan's population, particularly in Sindh and Balochistan. Data from Sindh's irrigation department shows the North West Canal facing a 64.1% deficit, while the Rice Canal and Dadu Canal report shortfalls of 38% and 82% respectively.
Sindh officials accuse upstream Punjab of illegally drawing 53,394 cusecs of water against its sanctioned allocation of 44,000 cusecs, an excess of more than 21%. With downstream flows plummeting, local leaders have warned of an impending 'economic massacre' as disputes intensify across provincial borders.
