Islamabad tells the UN that India’s unilateral action risks regional stability and violates the 1960 agreement
Pakistan has warned that India’s unilateral suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty poses a serious threat to water security and regional stability, saying the landmark agreement remains legally binding and cannot be changed by either side alone.
The remarks were made by Pakistan’s Acting Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Usman Jadoon, at the Global Water Bankruptcy Policy Roundtable organized by the Permanent Mission of Canada and the United Nations University on Tuesday.
Jadoon described India’s decision as a country deliberately weaponizing water. He said Pakistan’s position was unequivocal: the Indus Waters Treaty remains legally intact and allows no unilateral suspension or amendment.
In a press release issued by Pakistan’s Permanent Mission to the UN, Jadoon said India’s move to put the treaty on hold last April, followed by unannounced disruptions of downstream water flows and withholding of hydrological information, constituted significant breaches of the agreement.
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Addressing the roundtable, he said the 1960 treaty had for more than six decades provided a proven framework for fair and predictable management of the Indus River Basin. He noted that the system supports over 80% of Pakistan’s agricultural water needs and sustains the livelihoods of more than 240 million people.
Jadoon said water insecurity had become a systemic risk across regions, affecting food production, energy systems, public health, livelihoods and human security. Referring to Pakistan, he said the country is facing floods, droughts, accelerated glacial melt, groundwater depletion and rapid population growth, all of which are putting enormous pressure on already stressed water systems.
He said Pakistan is strengthening water resilience through integrated planning, flood protection, irrigation restoration, groundwater recharge and ecosystem restoration, including initiatives like Living Indus and Recharge Pakistan.
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Jadoon added that systemic water risk cannot be managed by any country alone, especially in shared river basins. Emphasizing the need for predictability, transparency and cooperation in transboundary water management, he said water insecurity should be recognized as a global systemic risk ahead of the 2026 UN Water Conference, with respect for international water law placed at the center of shared water management.
