strongly condemns the ongoing human rights abuses in IIOJK and declares that Kashmir remains the jugular vein of Pakistan
RAWALPINDI:
The military’s top brass on Monday expressed a resolute commitment to take all necessary measures to ensure the availability of Pakistan’s “rightful share of water” amid tensions with India over the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT).
For more than six decades, India and Pakistan amicably managed the Indus River system through the IWT Transboundary Water Sharing Treaty, signed on September 19, 1960. In April last year, India suspended the treaty in the wake of the Pahalgam attack. Last week, Pakistan held an IWT seminar where the political leadership pledged a robust defense of Pakistan’s rights under the treaty through all available legal and diplomatic means and warned that any attempt to deprive the country of its share of water would have “profound implications for regional peace and security”.
According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defense Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir presided over the 276th Corps Commanders’ Conference (CCC) at General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi.
The statement said the forum took note of Indian rhetoric around the IWT and confirmed the guidance issued in the National Security Committee’s April 24, 2025 directive.
“It expressed a resolute commitment to take all necessary measures to ensure the availability of Pakistan’s rightful share of water in accordance with government directives and the aspirations of the people of Pakistan,” ISPR said.
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The statement further added that the forum expressed serious concerns over the continued use of territory under the control of the Afghan Taliban regime by Indian-sponsored terrorist groups, including Fitna-al Khawarij and Fitna-al Hindustan to orchestrate attacks inside Pakistan.
Fitna-al Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), while Fitna-al Hindustan is a designation designated by the state for terrorist organizations in Balochistan.
“The forum affirmed that lasting peace and stability in the region is dependent on Indian terrorists, for whom the Afghan Taliban regime is directly responsible, preventing the use of Afghan Taliban-controlled territory,” it said.
The forum noted that Pakistan had an unequivocal right to defend its people against terrorism and the armed forces will continue intelligence-based operations against terrorism emanating from Afghan Taliban-controlled territory under Operation Ghazab lil Haq.
Operation Ghazab Lil Haq was launched around the end of February following renewed clashes along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border after Afghan Taliban forces fired at several locations, prompting swift military retaliation from Pakistan.
According to the ISPR, the military chief stressed the immediate need to establish robust governance structures in troubled areas aimed at public service and welfare and to break the sinister nexus of terror and crime that thrives under earned political patronage.
The forum noted that following what it described as the comprehensive defeat inflicted in Marka-e-Haq, “there is an increased reliance on an evolving pattern of externally supported hybrid warfare and disinformation campaigns aimed at causing unrest.”
The term “Marka-e-Haq” refers to the 2025 conflict with India, which began with the Pahalgam attack on April 22 and ended with a ceasefire on May 10 following Operation Bunyanum Marsoos.
It condemned all forms of state-backed financing, facilitation and sponsorship of proxies and said any attempt to destabilize Pakistan through hybrid means would continue to be met with “strategic clarity and firm resolve.”
The ISPR said the forum also reviewed the evolving regional situation and appreciated Pakistan’s constructive role in promoting dialogue, de-escalation and regional stability.
“It reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to peaceful conflict resolution, respect for international law and enhanced regional cooperation to address common security challenges,” the statement read.
The conference participants strongly rejected and condemned the ongoing human rights abuses and unilateral demographic engineering in the Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), declaring that Kashmir remains Pakistan’s jugular vein.
“It reaffirms Pakistan’s unwavering diplomatic, political and moral support to the Kashmir cause and stressed that genuine regional stability depends solely on granting the Kashmiri people their inalienable right to self-determination in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions,” it added.
The statement stated that CDF Munir directed the commanders to follow up quickly on the multi-domain transformation plan in line with the evolving nature of the war.
“He also urged the commanders to maintain the highest standards of vigilance, operational readiness and professional excellence, emphasizing integrated responses to conventional, sub-conventional and hybrid threats while protecting Pakistan’s sovereignty and national interests at all costs,” the statement said.
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The military’s media wing said the forum offered fateha for the Shuhada of the armed forces, law enforcement agencies and innocent civilians, and reaffirmed that “their sacrifices remain the bedrock of Pakistan’s security, unity and resilience.”
The ISPR said the top military leadership also reviewed the prevailing security environment and expressed satisfaction with the operational readiness, professionalism and combat readiness of the Pakistan Armed Forces.
In May, the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague upheld its earlier ruling supporting the continued validity of the IWT, ruling that India cannot unilaterally suspend the agreement. The tribunal reaffirmed that the treaty remained in force, rejecting arguments that either party can withdraw or suspend it without mutual consent. It said the legal framework for sharing the Indus river system continued to bind both India and Pakistan.
In an earlier ruling issued last year, the court directed India to allow the waters of the western rivers to flow for Pakistan’s “unrestricted use”, reinforcing Pakistan’s interpretation of the treaty’s water-allocation provisions.
Indus Waters Treaty
After several years of negotiations, facilitated by the World Bank, the IWT was signed in September 1960 by then Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and former Pakistani President Ayub Khan. India was given control of the three eastern rivers – Ravi, Sutlej and Beas – while Pakistan was awarded control of the three western rivers – Indus, Jhelum and Chenab. According to the treaty, India is legally bound to allow the waters of the western rivers to flow into Pakistan, with only a few exceptions.
According to the treaty, Pakistan has unrestricted use of these rivers, while India is allowed to build hydroelectric facilities on them under special conditions. These projects must conform to the design constraints outlined in the treaty annexes and ensure that they are “run-of-river” and do not significantly alter water flow or storage to Pakistan’s detriment.
Pakistan, which receives about 80 percent of the water in the Indus river system, is heavily dependent on these rivers. Of the 16.8 crore acre-feet of water in the system, India is allotted about 3.3 crore acre-feet. At present, India spends a little more than 90 percent of its permitted share, leaving Pakistan deeply dependent on the rest.
