Tensions between Pakistan and India flared further Thursday as Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared Pakistan would not receive water from rivers controlled by India, escalating the fallout from a deadly April attack in India-held Kashmir.
The statement comes weeks after New Delhi suspended the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), a World Bank-brokered 1960 agreement governing water sharing from rivers vital to Pakistan’s agriculture. Islamabad has rejected India’s unilateral move, calling it illegal under international law.
Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Usman Awan told Reuters that Pakistan remains open to dialogue but stressed India must honor the binding treaty. “The treaty is operational and any unilateral action by India is unlawful,” Awan said.
Modi, addressing a public rally in Rajasthan, warned Pakistan of severe consequences for alleged involvement in cross-border terrorism. “Pakistan will have to pay a heavy price for every terrorist attack,” he said.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Senate Standing Committee on Water Resources condemned India’s actions, describing them as “provocative and unlawful.” The panel emphasized that the treaty could not be suspended unilaterally and urged the international community to intervene.
“The weaponization of water is a red line for Pakistan,” read a unanimous statement from the committee, warning that continued Indian interference could jeopardize the fragile ceasefire agreement restored on May 10.
Pakistan’s Commissioner for Indus Waters, Mehar Ali Shah, also briefed the committee, noting that any changes to the treaty must be mutually agreed upon. The committee called India’s move a threat to the livelihoods of over 250 million Pakistanis dependent on the Indus basin.
PTI Rift Over Military Promotion
In domestic political developments, a visible rift emerged within the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) over the federal government’s decision to promote Chief of Army Staff Gen. Asim Munir to the rank of field marshal following recent military tensions with India.
While PTI interim chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan publicly congratulated Gen. Munir, imprisoned party founder Imran Khan expressed scorn, reportedly calling the move symbolic of “a law of the jungle.” Speaking from Adiala Jail via a post on X (formerly Twitter), Khan quipped that Gen. Munir “should have declared himself king.”
The PTI founder has no direct access to social media, and his account is managed by unidentified individuals. However, the post matched sentiments Khan shared with visitors during his court appearance.
Aleema Khan, Imran Khan’s sister, distanced the party from Gohar’s congratulatory remarks, insisting the statement was made in a personal capacity. “The opinion of the party is that of the founder, not Barrister Gohar,” she told reporters.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur also weighed in, warning the federal government of withdrawing cooperation on IMF conditions if PTI leaders were not allowed access to Khan.
Meanwhile, the PTI condemned delays in court proceedings involving Khan, with party officials asserting that the incarcerated leader remained resilient. PTI spokesperson Sheikh Waqqas Akram criticized the government’s alleged mistreatment of Khan and ruled out any negotiations with the ruling coalition, citing a lack of legitimacy.
He added that dialogue with India should only resume once it renounces terrorism, restores the IWT, and reinstates the constitutional status of occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
