Pakistan raises alarm over Indus water issue at Doha summit - warns against 'weaponizing' water
As-salamu alaykum - President Asif Ali Zardari warned at the World Summit for Social Development in Doha that Pakistan is facing a new danger: the weaponization of water. He accused India of breaching the Indus Waters Treaty and said such steps threaten the water supply for about 240 million Pakistanis.
The 1960 treaty, brokered long ago, divides rivers between the two countries - the western rivers like the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab meant for Pakistan, while the Ravi, Beas and Sutlej go to India. Tensions have grown as India has built more hydropower projects on western tributaries; Islamabad fears downstream flows could be reduced, while New Delhi says its projects follow the treaty.
In April 2025, after a militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir blamed on Pakistan, India said it was putting the Indus Waters Treaty on hold - something that had never happened before. Pakistan has warned that any move to cut off its share of water would be treated as an act of war.
Zardari told the summit that threatening to use water as a weapon was a very serious matter and insisted such tactics won’t succeed.
He also backed the Doha Political Declaration on ending poverty, boosting decent work and strengthening social inclusion, and called for global financial reforms-debt relief, fairer taxation and affordable funding for social programs. He highlighted Pakistan’s Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), saying it has helped over nine million families with cash, health and education support. Zardari announced goals to raise literacy to 90 percent in five years and to scale up climate-resilient projects like the Green Pakistan Initiative and mangrove restoration.
Finally, he condemned the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and urged a lasting peace in the Middle East, reaffirming Pakistan’s support for the Palestinians’ right to self-determination and reiterating backing for Kashmiris’ rights as well.
May Allah grant peace and justice to all those suffering.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/