India strongly rejected Pakistani Defence Minister Khwaja Asif’s remarks about going to war over the Indus Waters Treaty. The MEA called the comments an attempt to hide Pakistan’s failures and human rights abuses, while also raising concerns about conditions in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
The response came after Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif warned that any move by India to stop or divert water could trigger a military response.
During an inter-ministerial briefing on Tuesday, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “Such remarks are desperate attempts by Pakistan to cover up its own failings and deflect attention away from its human rights abuses. We categorically reject these fabricated claims with the contempt that they deserve.”
“The ongoing protests in Pakistan occupied Kashmir are a direct consequence of Pakistan’s decades long policy of systemic economic exploitation, denial of fundamental rights and administrative oppression in areas under its illegal and forcible occupation in Pakistani state has responded with systemic economic exploitation, denial of fundamental rights, and administrative oppression in areas under its illegal and forcible occupation, Pakistani state has responded with extreme police brutality, blocking of essential supplies and medicines, internet blackouts, and use of lethal force against unarmed civilians,” Jaiswal added.
A couple of days ago, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif warned that any threat to Pakistan’s water supply would be treated as a threat to national security. He said Pakistan could go to war if India tried to stop or divert water flowing under the Indus Waters Treaty.
Khawaja Asif links water security to national security
Speaking in an interview with ARY News, Asif said Pakistan would consider any attempt to alter water flows as a direct threat.
“The moment we feel that our national security and water is part of our national security, is being threatened, we will go to war against India. Definitely,” he said.
He added that Pakistan would have no option but to respond if there was clear evidence that India was building structures or taking steps to stop or divert water.
“If India very quickly starts building structures or takes steps to stop or divert water, and we get proof of it, then there will be no other option left,” he said.
Indus Waters Treaty remains in abeyance
Asif’s comments come at a time when tensions remain high over the future of the Indus Waters Treaty, which has been in abeyance since 2025.
On June 5, India reiterated that the 1960 treaty would remain suspended until Pakistan takes credible and irreversible steps to stop supporting cross-border terrorism.
New Delhi put the agreement on hold after the April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 people were killed. Following the attack, India launched Operation Sindoor in May 2025, saying the operation targeted terrorist infrastructure.
Since then, India has maintained that the treaty will not be restored unless Pakistan shows a long-term commitment to ending cross-border terrorism.
India’s stand on Indus Waters Treaty
Jaiswal said, “The Indus Waters Treaty stands in abeyance in response to Pakistan’s sponsorship of cross-border terrorism.”
He also dismissed Pakistan’s objections to India’s hydroelectric projects on the Chenab and Beas rivers.
Baglihar Dam Shows Shift in India’s Water Policy
The effects of the treaty’s suspension are evident at the Baglihar Dam in Jammu and Kashmir’s Ramban district. More than a year after the treaty was put on hold, the dam’s gates remain closed.
The continued closure reflects a broader change in India’s approach to water management and hydroelectric operations. The development has attracted close attention from Pakistan.
India rejects Court of Arbitration award
India has also rejected the May 15 award issued by a Court of Arbitration regarding maximum pondage and treaty interpretation.
New Delhi called the court “illegally constituted” and said it had never accepted its authority. India stated that all proceedings and decisions of the tribunal are “null and void.”
Why the Indus River matters to Pakistan
The dispute is highly important for Pakistan because the country depends heavily on the Indus river system.
According to the Indian government, nearly 80 percent of Pakistan’s 16 million hectares of agricultural land relies on the river network. Around 93 percent of the country’s total water use also comes from the same system.
With the Indus Waters Treaty entering its second year in abeyance, the issue has become another major source of tension between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, with both countries continuing to defend their positions.
