What happened
Pakistan’s Foreign Office warned India on Thursday, 11 June 2026, that any attempt to block or curtail the flow of water into Pakistan would be “an extremely grave act with far-reaching consequences” and could amount to an act of war under international law.
Speaking at the weekly media briefing in Islamabad, Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi was responding to remarks by India’s Water Resources Minister, C R Patil, who said India was working to ensure that “not a single drop of water” reaches Pakistan in the coming years. Andrabi said any deliberate effort to obstruct water essential to the livelihood, agriculture and well-being of more than 250 million Pakistanis would be deeply irresponsible and a violation of international obligations governing transboundary rivers as well as bilateral commitments.
“Pakistan firmly rejects any notion that water can be used as a political tool, instrument of coercion or weapon,” Andrabi said, warning that such actions would pose a serious threat to regional peace and security.
He said Pakistan’s rights over its water resources were non-negotiable and would be protected through all available diplomatic, political, legal and economic means in line with international law and the United Nations Charter. He added that Pakistan reserved the right to take all necessary measures to safeguard its economy, national interests and the lives of its citizens, and urged India to act responsibly, honour its international commitments and avoid actions that could further escalate tensions in South Asia.
The warning followed a separate Foreign Office statement this month that called India’s planned Chenab-Beas Link Tunnel, which would divert an estimated 1.9 million acre-feet of water a year, a grave violation of the Indus Waters Treaty. Pakistan has objected repeatedly to Indian hydropower and diversion projects on rivers allocated to it under the 1960 treaty.
Why it matters
The Indus Waters Treaty, brokered by the World Bank in 1960, divides the six-river Indus system between the two countries and is one of the world’s most durable water-sharing agreements. Pakistan depends on the Indus and its tributaries for most of its irrigation and drinking water, so any move to reduce flows touches food security, electricity generation and public stability.
The exchange adds a water dimension to already strained Pakistan-India relations and follows years of Pakistani objections to Indian projects on the western rivers. Andrabi’s phrasing, treating a deliberate cut-off as an act of war, signals that Islamabad intends to keep the issue at the centre of its diplomacy and legal strategy. The treaty provides for dispute resolution through a commission, neutral experts and, ultimately, arbitration, a route Pakistan has used before.
What is still uncertain
The Indian minister’s remarks have not been matched by a formal policy announcement, and India has not said it will withdraw from the treaty or halt flows. It is not clear whether the two countries will use the treaty’s dispute mechanism over the latest statements or over the Chenab-Beas project. Pakistan’s options, as stated, remain diplomatic and legal rather than a specified course of action.
Sources & reporting notes
This is a summary of published reporting, not independent reporting. Details are as carried by the cited source, which was reviewed on 2026-06-11. The Indian minister's remarks and Pakistan's response are both public statements; the legal characterisation of any future action is disputed.
- Pakistan Today — "Pakistan warns India against weaponising water, reaffirms readiness to defend vital national interests"11 June 2026 · Andrabi's briefing, his quotations and the response to the Indian water minister.
