Pakistan has called India’s decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty following the Pahalgam terror attack an act of “water warfare” and an illegal move. Vowing to challenge the move legally, Pakistan said India cannot unilaterally exit from a treaty that involves global organisations like the World Bank.
“India’s reckless suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty is an act of water warfare; a cowardly, illegal move. Every drop is ours by right, and we will defend it with full force – legally, politically, and globally,” Pakistan’s energy minister Awais Leghari tweeted.
The minister’s reaction came as Pakistan’s top security body, the National Security Committee (NSC), held a meeting to assess India’s slew of measures against the country following the terror attack in the tourist hub of Pahalgam that left 26 dead.
The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of the Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba, has claimed responsibility for the attack.
The Centre has also decided to expel diplomats and defence officials from the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi, close the Wagah-Attari land border and cancel the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme visas (SVES).
India’s moves signal that it holds Pakistan indirectly responsible for the massacre even though the country has washed its hands of the incident – one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in Kashmir in recent years.
As per the treaty brokered by the World Bank in 1960, 80% of the water flow from the Indus system is provided by India to Pakistan as an upper riparian state. A decision to suspend the treaty will impact Pakistan’s agricultural sector.
‘WILL RESPOND TO INDIA WORD BY WORD’
According to the Pakistani media, foreign minister Ishaq Dar has dismissed allegations against Pakistan as baseless. “If India has any evidence (on the Pahalgam attack), it should present it,” Dar said.
Sources have told India Today that a preliminary probe indicated that both Pakistani and local Kashmiri terrorists were involved in the attack.
The minister further said Pakistan would respond to the decisions of the Narendra Modi-led government “word by word”.
“This is nothing but a political ploy. India is trying to blame Pakistan for its own failures,” Samaa TV quoted Dar as saying.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said Pakistan won’t bow to any pressure tactic by India and warned of a “strong and effective” response.
“They have been trying to get out of the Indus treaty for a long time… The World Bank is also involved. India cannot make this decision alone,” he said.
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