Pakistan must defend Indus Waters through int'l law, global diplomacy: Hina Rabbani

ISLAMABAD, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Jun, 2026) Chairperson of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, MNA Hina Rabbani Khar, on Tuesday urged Pakistan to vigorously pursue legal and diplomatic avenues to safeguard the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) amid warning that India's attempt to unilaterally place the landmark agreement "in abeyance" poses a serious challenge to the international rules-based order.

Addressing the Pakistan International Conference on the Indus Waters Treaty 2026, the former foreign minister said India's actions reflected a broader erosion of respect for international law and treaties. She questioned that how a country aspiring to play a leading global role could simultaneously undermine legally binding international agreements.

Quoting Article XII of the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, Khar stressed that the agreement could only be modified or terminated through a duly ratified treaty concluded between both Pakistan and India, leaving no legal room for unilateral suspension or abeyance.

"The treaty is unequivocal. It cannot be held in abeyance through political statements or unilateral decisions. Any modification or termination requires the consent of both governments through a duly ratified treaty," she said.

Khar cautioned against calls for renegotiating the treaty under current circumstances, saying no country should abandon an existing legally binding agreement before securing a mutually agreed alternative.

She argued that India's position was being enabled by an increasingly fragmented international order in which global institutions and traditional guardians of international law were struggling to uphold established norms.

"The real question is not only what India is doing, but why it believes it can get away with violating a treaty that has long been regarded as one of the world's most successful transboundary water agreements," she remarked.

Describing respect for treaties as a global public good, Khar warned that failure to defend the Indus Waters Treaty would set a dangerous precedent extending well beyond South Asia.

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"Today it is Pakistan's water; tomorrow it could be another country's shared resource. International agreements lose meaning if states are allowed to disregard them unilaterally," she said.

Recalling her tenure as Pakistan's foreign minister, Khar said she had worked to normalize relations and expand trade with India when New Delhi demonstrated greater commitment to dialogue and international norms.

She, however, maintained that contemporary India had departed from that approach and was increasingly acting outside accepted legal frameworks.

Referring to the treaty's resilience, Khar noted that the Indus Waters Treaty had survived three wars between Pakistan and India, including the 1971 conflict, making its current challenge particularly alarming.

"The treaty endured full-scale wars because both sides recognized its legal sanctity. It is deeply concerning that it is now being challenged not by war, but by unilateral political decisions," she observed.

Khar also linked the issue to the growing impacts of climate change, noting that the Indus Basin is among the world's most vulnerable regions due to rapidly melting glaciers and increasing water stress.

She stressed that changing climatic conditions should encourage greater regional cooperation rather than confrontation over shared water resources.

Calling for stronger international engagement, Khar urged the global community, particularly European countries that have consistently championed international law, to play a more active role in defending treaty obligations and preserving the rules-based international system.

She concluded that protecting the Indus Waters Treaty was not only vital for Pakistan's water security but also essential for safeguarding the credibility of international law and preventing the erosion of global treaty commitments.