Indus Waters Treaty a matter of survival, unilateral suspension illegal: Attaullah Tarar

Addressing the launch of a special report in Islamabad on the use of water as a weapon and the historical, legal and strategic aspects of the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, Federal Minister Attaullah Tarar said Pakistanis could be proud that they belonged to the ancient civilisation of the Indus basin. He said that once a treaty was concluded, its implementation became binding on the parties concerned.

He said the Indus Waters Treaty was a matter of life and survival for Pakistanis. It was not merely a paper document, he said, and international treaties could not be suspended or ended unilaterally. He added that the international court of arbitration had also ruled in favour of Pakistan’s position.

He said Pakistan had raised its position on the treaty at the diplomatic level. The Indus Waters Treaty could neither be suspended nor held in abeyance, he said.

The federal minister said the Indus Waters Treaty was a source of peace and stability in the region. He said India would not be allowed to use water as a weapon. Water was directly linked to the lives, agriculture and economy of the people of Pakistan, he said. The Prime Minister had made it clear at the United Nations that stopping Pakistan’s water would be treated as an act of war.

He said Pakistan had sacrificed thousands of lives in the war against terrorism. It had also suffered losses of billions of dollars in that war. Pakistan’s eastern neighbour levelled baseless allegations of cross-border interference against it, he said, and on the basis of those allegations announced that the Indus Waters Treaty would be held in abeyance.

Attaullah Tarar further said international courts had already given a clear ruling against suspending or holding the treaty in abeyance. “We want peace, but we cannot allow water to be used as a weapon,” he said.