ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - Former President National Defence University Lieutenant General (retd) Amir Riaz has said that blocking the flow of the Indus River would be an attack on Pakistan’s fundamental national interests.
Addressing an international seminar on the Indus Waters Treaty, Lt Gen (retd) Amir Riaz said the Indus River system supplies water to one of the world’s largest irrigation networks, a major portion of which is located in Pakistan.
He said the Indus Basin system is the backbone of Pakistan’s agriculture, economy and energy requirements, adding that the country’s development and prosperity are closely linked with this water network.
The former NDU president said stopping Pakistan’s water supply would be considered a direct threat to its core national interests, while under international principles, an upstream country cannot block the water of a downstream state.
Lt Gen (retd) Amir Riaz highlighted the historical background of the Indus Waters Treaty, recalling that in April 1948, India had stopped the flow of water from eastern rivers entering Pakistan, which affected canals irrigating vast agricultural lands in Punjab.
He said the dispute led to formal negotiations that continued for nearly a decade, with international experts and the World Bank playing a key role, eventually resulting in the signing of the Indus Waters Treaty.