BEIJING, Dec 21 (APP): India’s unilateral violations of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), including unannounced water releases and its persistent refusal to share hydrological data, amount to a dangerous weaponization of water, posing a serious threat to Pakistan’s survival and to regional stability as a whole.
This was stated by Prof. Cheng Xizhong, Senior Research Fellow at the Charhar Institute, a non-governmental Chinese think-tank on diplomacy and international studies based in Beijing.
He said that, as emphasized by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar, India’s reckless actions, deliberately timed to disrupt Pakistan’s agricultural cycle, directly endanger the livelihoods of over 250 million people. These measures undermine Pakistan’s food and economic security and risk triggering a large-scale humanitarian crisis.
Such conduct represents not only a blatant breach of the IWT but also a violation of fundamental principles of international law. India’s systematic attempts to erode the treaty framework—through the construction of illegal hydropower projects and the circumvention of established dispute-resolution mechanisms—set a dangerous precedent for transboundary water governance worldwide, he added.
Prof Cheng stressed that the international community, particularly the United Nations Security Council and the World Bank, cannot afford to remain silent. India’s manipulation of shared water resources strikes at the credibility of international treaties and violates the core principles of good-neighborly relations.
It is therefore imperative that the global community urge India to immediately restore full compliance with the IWT, cease the weaponization of water, and engage in meaningful, constructive dialogue.
Pakistan’s commitment to peaceful dispute resolution remains unwavering; however, its existential water rights are non-negotiable. Failure to hold India accountable will only exacerbate tensions in South Asia, turning a shared lifeline into a catalyst for conflict, he added.