Islamabad:
Senators fired a breadth of India on Friday over his attempts at unilateral to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), who warned that such a provocation would cross a red line and could trigger legal, diplomatic and even military retaliation under international law.
By taking the word during a senate session, President of Senator Irfan Siddiqui in the House of Parliament, PTI parliamentary leader Barrister Ali Zafar claimed that India had no legal reason to pull the plug on the decades-old treaty.
He warned that manipulation with the water flow was tantamount to a declaration of war.
The legal expert cited international law, including Article 51 of the UN Charter and Articles 54 and 49 of the Geneva Convention, and said the provisions leave no wings.
Pakistan reserves the right to respond with full strength across all fronts if India dares to stop even a single drop, he added.
He continued to warn that if India violated the treaty, Pakistan had the legal right to destroy Indian dams with missiles or disable their functionality through military force.
“International law says that if India even blocks a single drop of water, Pakistan can beat their dams with missiles.”
“Article 12 (4) of the Indus Waters Treaty clearly states that no one -sided changes can be made. If changes are needed, both countries must negotiate and enter into a new agreement,” Zafar added.
He also remembered India’s previous violations, including the construction of the Kishanganga dam, where Pakistan turned to the international court too late. “We are a lower riparian state. International law says that lower ripar states have an inalienable right to water. To deny that the court can be counteracted by any measure needed to preserve the treaty.”
Zafar pointed out that Pakistan was building one of the world’s largest channel systems under IWT and that any attempt from India to disturb it shows its unreliability and contempt for international obligations.
“The time is ripe to expose India’s actions to the world,” the PTI leader emphasized.
“When we previously sought international arbitration, India used statements from our own ministers against us. Now it claims terrorism as a pretext to suspend the treaty.”
“If we don’t solve this water crisis, people will starve. This is greater than politics,” the PTI leader emphasized.
Ptis Senator Dr. Humayun Mohmand compared India’s actions with a hostile neighbor who cut off the water. “If someone blocks water from your adjacent house, you either persuade them to open it or you open it yourself,” he said.
“India only understands the language of power.”
He rejected statements from Pakistan’s Finance Minister who neglected the immediate impact of India’s actions. “If Modi was interested in international norms, he wouldn’t do this,” he said. “Landgrabber only understands a Kalashnikov pressed to their temple.”
Jui-F senator Kamran Murtaza also criticized India’s long-standing behavior. “India has always created water related problems for us,” he said.
He emphasized the need for a Senate Committee consisting of members of all parties to investigate the issue thoroughly and advise the government accordingly.
