Attempts to deprive Pakistan of its rightful share of water would have “serious implications” for regional peace and security, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Tuesday, in an address regarding the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT).

The deputy premier was addressing the International Water Symposium convened by the Embassy of Pakistan in Austria in collaboration with the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna, according to the Foreign Office.

Water and the IWT remain a contentious issue between India and Pakistan, following New Delhi’s unilateral abeyance of the accord in April last year after an attack on tourists in India-occupied Kashmir. The development preceded a brief military conflict between the two sides in May 2025.

In his keynote address delivered via video message, Dar stressed that there should be “no misunderstanding” about Pakistan’s resolve to safeguard its rights and interests under the IWT and international law.

“Any attempt to deprive Pakistan of the waters rightfully allocated to it would have serious implications for regional peace and security,” he said.

Stressing that water was fundamental to human survival, prosperity and environmental sustainability, Dar pointed out that its availability was increasingly determining the stability of relations among states. He added that for countries sharing transboundary river systems, a “permanent interdependence” was created by their geography.

“The fundamental question, therefore, is whether shared waters will be governed through cooperation and agreed legal frameworks, or become instruments of political pressure and confrontation,” he said.

For Pakistan in particular, the deputy premier added, water security was inseparable from food security, as the waters of the Indus River System sustained the lives and livelihoods of over 250 million people in the country.

He highlighted that this water sustained agriculture, food security, energy production, economic development, and life-supporting ecological systems.

“Any attempt to undermine Pakistan’s rights over these waters carries consequences that extend far beyond a bilateral disagreement,” DPM Dar stressed.

The IWT, which Pakistan signed in 1960 after a decade of negotiation, replaced what the deputy premier termed “upstream discretion” with binding legal obligations, establishing a framework of “certainty and predictability” for both countries. This, he said, reflected a fundamental recognition that “waters upon which millions depend must remain insulated from the fluctuations in political relations”.

However, he said, this principle was now being challenged as India had unilaterally placed the treaty “in abeyance” in April 2025, although it contained no provision permitting either party to do so.

He highlighted that on Aug 31, the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) had issued a unanimous award on the status of the IWT, ordering India to uphold the treaty and restricting its work on a hydropower project. The PCA had unequivocally confirmed that the treaty “remains fully in force” and that India remained bound by its obligations under it, as there were no grounds justifying its suspension or termination.

“This is an important reaffirmation of Pakistan’s position, as well as a fundamental principle of international law,” Dar stated. “Pacta sunt servanda: agreements must be kept.”

The deputy premier stressed that the court’s decision reinforced that the rights and obligations established under the IWT could not be displaced unilaterally. However, he pointed out that India continued its “intransigent behaviour and illegal actions”.

“Pakistan has consistently sought to address its differences with India through dialogue, diplomacy and the dispute resolution mechanisms provided under the treaty,” he said, adding that the country was also participating in the Neutral Expert proceedings under the treaty administered by the PCA’s Vienna Office.

He emphasised Pakistan’s constructive participation in both the Neutral Expert proceedings and the PCA’s award processes, which he said demonstrated the country’s confidence in the IWT’s institutional mechanisms.

The deputy premier highlighted that the credibility of international law depended “not only on the conclusion of treaties, but also upon their faithful implementation and respect for decisions rendered under their agreed procedures” — a principle Pakistan had consistently upheld, he added.

Dar stressed the “profound” humanitarian, economic and security implications of the use of water as an “instrument of pressure”. He added that India’s illegal actions had implications extending beyond the region, as they would establish a “dangerous precedent” for other transboundary river basins that relied on international agreements.

“Amidst challenges to the international law-based world order, the international community should be strengthening treaty-based cooperation, not permitting its erosion,” he said.

“The principles of equitable and reasonable utilisation, the prevention of significant transboundary harm, and cooperation remain essential to international water governance. Their application must, however, respect the specific rights and obligations established under the treaties governing individual river systems.”

The deputy premier also highlighted Pakistan’s continued commitment to dialogue, diplomacy and the peaceful settlement of disputes and termed cooperation over shared waters “indispensable” to regional peace, development and sustainability.

He said that the way forward depended on three fundamental principles: the implementation of the IWT in letter and spirit; for all differences and disputes to be addressed through its established mechanisms and for these decisions to be respected; and the strengthening of technical engagement, transparency and data-sharing by both countries in accordance with the treaty.

“Our preference remains clear: cooperation over coercion, dialogue over confrontation, and the rule of law over unilateralism,” DPM Dar said. “The future of transboundary water governance must rest on cooperation, mutual respect, and the faithful implementation of international obligations. Pakistan stands ready to pursue this path.”

The IWT allocates the eastern rivers — Ravi, Beas and Sutlej — to India, while the western rivers — Indus, Jhelum and Chenab — are largely allocated to Pakistan. The 1960 water-sharing agreement has also established mechanisms for data-sharing and dispute resolution.

In April 2025, India announced a unilateral suspension of its obligations under the treaty, following an attack on tourists in India-occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam that killed 26 — an incident New Delhi blamed on Islamabad without evidence, while Islamabad denied the allegations.

Following India’s actions, Pakistan termed any attempt to suspend its water share an “act of war”, noting the IWT had no provision for unilateral suspension. It later argued that Delhi’s action was a violation of the 1969 Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties.

In its order, the PCA backed Pakistan’s stance, declaring that the IWT between the two countries remained fully in force, as India had no justification for ending or suspending the agreement.

However, in a statement issued by its foreign ministry, India — which is officially a member of the intergovernmental court — said it did not recognise the court and “categorically” rejected the verdict.