Indus Waters Treaty: Pakistan Threatens India, Makes BIG Demand

Indus Waters Treaty: Pakistan has once again issued a veiled threat against India regarding the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT). Pakistan’s foreign office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said that any development project or alleged violation by India on the western rivers (Chenab, Jhelum, and Neelum) would be raised by Pakistan at the political, diplomatic, and international levels. 

What has Pakistan said on IWT?

Andrabi also stated that the IWT remains a binding international agreement and there is no provision to suspend the treaty. It is worth noting that last year, on April 22, a day after the Pulwama terrorist attack, India took several punitive measures against Pakistan, including threatening to suspend the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty.

“Any project on the Chenab, Jhelum, and Neelum rivers falls under the purview of the IWT and our Indus Water Commissioner has written a letter regarding some projects on the Chenab River,” Andrabi said. 

“If any development work takes place on the Jhelum and Neelum rivers, we will obviously raise it with India at the level of the Indus Commissioner. We can also raise it with India at the political and diplomatic levels and at relevant international forums,” he added.

How did Pakistan describe Jaishankar's remarks?

Andrabi termed External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's remarks that Pakistan has been running training camps to support terrorism for decades as "irresponsible and misleading." 

“Once again, India has tried to divert attention from its own highly concerning record as a neighbour,” he said. 

“India has been a source of pressure rather than cooperation for smaller states in the region, while minorities within its borders face increasing persecution and oppression.”

What was his take on Afghanistan?

Speaking about Afghanistan, Andrabi said that Pakistan and China have agreed to continue utilizing the trilateral mechanism, which also includes Afghanistan, and the last meeting was held in August. He said that apart from this one major issue of terrorism emanating from Afghanistan, Pakistan has no bilateral issues with Afghanistan. 

“Pakistan has demanded written assurances from Afghanistan to prevent terrorism and a commitment to fulfilling those assurances,” he said.

Andrabi also said that a trilateral mechanism meeting between Pakistan, Bangladesh, and China had taken place last year at the level of deputy ministers and foreign secretaries, and that they are keen to follow up on it and expect positive outcomes, and are ready to promote cooperation at the regional and sub-regional levels.