Pakistan Condemns India's "Malevolent Designs" Over Indus Water Treaty

Strategic Insights -

Pakistan has strongly condemned India's decision to suspend the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), which guarantees water flow to Pakistan. A senior Pakistani diplomat, Ambassador Usman Jadoon, asserted that India's actions constitute a grave violation of international law, including human rights law, treaty law, and customary international law. He called on India to refrain from stopping, diverting, or restricting rivers that are a lifeline for 240 million Pakistanis. The Pakistani envoy also highlighted India's attempts to weaponize water and undermine international norms.

Key Takeaways:

  • Pakistan's Ambassador to the UN, Usman Jadoon, condemned India's decision to suspend the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) as a grave violation of international law.
  • India's actions are a threat to the livelihoods of 240 million Pakistanis who rely on the treaty-guaranteed water flow.
  • The Pakistani envoy emphasized that India's attempt to weaponize water and undermine international norms is a worrying development.
  • The UN Security Council has reaffirmed the principles of protecting water resources during armed conflicts, and Pakistan calls on India to comply with these principles.
  • The Pakistani envoy strongly denounced India's leader's "troubling pronouncements" to "starve the people of Pakistan", describing it as a "dangerous and perverse thinking".
  • Pakistan has called on India to abide by its legal obligations and refrain from stopping, diverting, or restricting rivers that are a lifeline for millions of Pakistanis.

Statistics:

  • 240 million people in Pakistan rely on the Indus Waters Treaty for their livelihoods.
  • The treaty guarantees water flow to Pakistan under the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty.
  • India's suspension of the treaty constitutes a flagrant violation of established norms and widely accepted principles.

Sources:

  • Numerical data and statistics come from the original text.