BRUSSELS (Web Desk) - Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Friday warned that India’s illegal and unilateral decision to place the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) in abeyance poses a serious threat to regional stability.
He made these remarks while addressing the Indo-Pacific Ministerial Forum Roundtable in Brussels on Friday.
Ishaq Dar recalled that New Delhi suspended its participation in the treaty in April following an attack in occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam, which killed 26 people — an incident India blamed on Pakistan without providing evidence.
Islamabad condemned the move as an attempt to undermine its water rights, describing any unilateral suspension as an “act of war” and noting that the treaty contains no provision for such action.
Pakistan has since said it is considering legal recourse, arguing the step violates the 1969 Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties.
Highlighting the broader implications, Dar stressed that water resources should serve as a basis for cooperation, not “weaponised for political leverage”.
He reiterated that lasting peace in South Asia remains contingent on resolving the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in line with UN Security Council resolutions and the aspirations of Kashmiris.
India can't unilaterally suspend IWT, says FM Dar
Turning to Afghanistan, the foreign minister said the country remains central to Pakistan’s security calculus.
Bilateral ties have been strained by Pakistan’s concerns over cross-border attacks by the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Dar urged the Afghan Taliban authorities to “act responsibly, honour their commitments, and eliminate terrorist safe havens”.
Addressing the crisis in Gaza, Dar said developments in the Middle East “impact the entire world”.
He commended recent diplomatic efforts, including the Sharm el-Sheikh ceasefire agreement, but insisted that violations and the occupation of Palestinian territories must end.
He reaffirmed Pakistan’s support for a sovereign Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders with al-Quds al-Sharif as its capital.