Pakistan in Islamabad on Thursday accused India of seeking to "use water as a weapon" through two proposed projects on the Chenab River, saying they violate the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty and pose a threat to its water, food and economic security, while vowing to respond and protect its rights under the treaty.

Published on: 06/04/2026 - 16:45

Pakistan said Thursday that two projects that India wants to establish on cross-border waterways would make New Delhi “use water as a weapon” and violate an important treaty between the two neighboring countries, threatening New Delhi with retaliation.

India, which announced the two initiatives separately this year, insists it has the right to go ahead with projects related to waters it controls, even though rivers flowing through both countries would be affected.

Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman Tahir Andrabi told reporters that New Delhi did not consult Islamabad regarding the two Chenab River projects, which he said would undermine the Indus Waters Treaty. He added, "These two projects confirm that India appears to be using water as a weapon. This has dangerous consequences not only for Pakistan's economy, but also for regional stability and international peace and security."

The Indus Treaty... is binding despite India's comment

India announced last year that it would suspend the bilateral Indus Waters Treaty, which governs the use of waterways on which hundreds of millions depend, in the run-up to an armed conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbors. But Andarabi said the treaty was still binding on both governments.

Pakistan had previously announced that it would consider any attempt to change the flow of cross-border waterways an “act of war,” noting that there is no mechanism for either country to unilaterally withdraw from the agreement concluded in 1960.

In May, the Indian government's National Hydropower Corporation issued a tender notice for a proposed tunnel project that would transport water from the Chenab River to the Beas River Basin. India's energy ministry said in January that it was "removing sediments" at the Salal power plant on the Chenab River "following termination of the Indus Water Treaty."

"Any illegal action that threatens Pakistan's water, food and economic security, as well as the survival and well-being of its 250 million population, is unacceptable," Andrabi said. "Pakistan will reserve all options necessary to protect rights under the treaty and protect its vital national interests," he added, without elaborating.

Background of the conflict: A historic treaty is at stake

The water treaty provided a rare channel for diplomatic engagement between the two sides until India suspended its participation following a deadly attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir in April 2025. New Delhi blamed Islamabad for supporting the attack, which Pakistan denied. The two countries engaged in a conflict the following month that killed nearly 70 people on both sides.

France 24/AFP

Keywords related to the article

The content you want to browse is no longer in service or is currently unavailable.