What happened
Pakistan urged India to respect the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 and warned that the unilateral suspension of shared-water agreements could threaten downstream countries, at a United Nations-backed conference in Tajikistan’s capital, Dushanbe.
Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination Dr Musadik Malik told the Fourth High-Level International Conference on the International Decade for Action “Water for Sustainable Development” (2018-2028) that “water aggression” was unacceptable and that no country should be allowed to use water as a weapon.
What he said
Mr Malik accused India of seeking to politicise shared water resources in violation of longstanding international commitments, and said unilateral actions affecting trans-boundary rivers could create serious global challenges for water security, food production and climate resilience.
He urged India to respect the Indus Waters Treaty and honour international mediation mechanisms, warning that any attempt to place the treaty in abeyance would set a dangerous precedent for downstream countries around the world.
He also voiced concern at what he described as a decline in multilateralism, saying cooperative international frameworks were increasingly being replaced by unilateral approaches. He warned that upstream countries could exploit that trend to pressure vulnerable downstream states by restricting access to shared water resources.
Background
The Indus Waters Treaty, brokered by the World Bank in 1960, allocates the three western rivers — the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab — to Pakistan and the three eastern rivers — the Ravi, Beas and Sutlej — to India.
In April 2025, India announced a unilateral suspension of its obligations under the treaty after an attack on tourists in occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam that killed 26 people, an incident New Delhi blamed on Islamabad without evidence. Pakistan termed any attempt to suspend its water share an “act of war”, noting the treaty has no provision for unilateral suspension.
A supplemental award by the Permanent Court of Arbitration earlier in May affirmed Islamabad’s position and placed “substantive limits on India’s water-control capability” on the western rivers, according to a statement by the Pakistan government. India’s foreign ministry rejected the decision.
Glaciers and climate
Mr Malik said Pakistan remained among the countries most severely affected by global warming and emphasised the need for regional cooperation on glacial melt and ecosystem preservation. He noted that Pakistan and Tajikistan each host nearly 13,000 glaciers, and that both countries have lost approximately 1,000 of them because of rising global temperatures.
Why it matters
The remarks keep Pakistan’s water dispute with India before an international audience at a time when the treaty’s future is contested and a parallel arbitration ruling has been rejected by New Delhi. They underline Islamabad’s effort to frame any suspension of the treaty as a breach of international law with consequences for downstream states beyond South Asia.
Sources & reporting notes
This is a summary of published reporting, not independent reporting. Quotations are as carried by the cited outlet. Sources reviewed on 2026-05-27.
- Dawn — "Pakistan urges India to honour Indus Waters Treaty"Published 27 May 2026, reporting the 26 May address in Dushanbe · Carries Mr Malik's remarks, the treaty background and the arbitration ruling.
