Indus Waters Treaty remains ‘valid, binding and effective’: Pakistan’s deputy prime minister

The treaty governs the distribution and use of the Indus River and its tributaries between India and Pakistan since 1960. File | Photo credit: PTI

Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said on Tuesday (June 20, 2026) that Pakistan rejects India’s decision to abrogate the Indus Waters Treaty, adding that it “remains valid, binding and operational”.

India suspended the World Bank-brokered deal as part of a punitive measure against Pakistan following the April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians.

The treaty has governed the distribution and use of the Indus River and its tributaries between India and Pakistan since 1960.

“No party can unilaterally suspend or terminate its obligations under a treaty that does not contain any such provision,” Mr. Dar said at a seminar on the Indus Waters Treaty in Islamabad, Radio Pakistan reported.

He said the Indus Waters Treaty was not just a water-sharing agreement but “a vital instrument for regional peace, stability and cooperation”.

The minister went on to say that shared waters “must remain a bridge between nations, guided by cooperation, dialogue and respect for international law for the benefit of present and future generations”.

He argued that any attempt to deprive Pakistan of waters “rightfully allotted” to it would have “profound consequences” for regional peace and security.

Suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty: What are the implications for India and Pakistan?

The Indus Waters Treaty was signed on 19 September 1960 after nine years of negotiations to resolve issues related to transboundary rivers.

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, speaking at a seminar titled “Indus Waters Treaty: A Key Tool for Peace and Regional Stability”, said that the Indus River is non-negotiable.

The former foreign minister proposed a new “international convention against the armament of waterways”.

He said the convention should stipulate that waterways cannot be used as coercive tools and that the principle should apply globally, including the Strait of Hormuz, the Suez Canal, the Panama Canal, the Nile, the Tigris, the Euphrates and the Indus.

Comparing the strategic importance of the Indus River and the Strait of Hormuz, Mr Zardari asked if peace between the US and Iran could not be achieved by closing the Strait of Hormuz, then “how can any ceasefire between India and Pakistan hope to last without the resumption of inland navigation?”

Published – 30 Jun 2026 23:36 IST