The inflammatory remarks by Indian Home Minister Amit Shah regarding the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) reflect not a position of strength, but of frustration — a response deeply rooted in India’s inability to translate military ambition into strategic success in its recent engagements with Pakistan.
Shah’s statement, promising to divert waters flowing to Pakistan under the IWT, is not only a clear violation of international law but also a desperate attempt to recover political ground lost due to India’s faltering image on the global stage.
Mr Amit’s declaration to abandon the treaty by constructing a canal to reroute water to Rajasthan is not just legally untenable — it is morally bankrupt. It echoes the sentiment of a nation seeking to reassert itself after being strategically embarrassed. Foreign Office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan rightly called out the Indian move as a ‘brazen disregard for sanctity of international agreements.’ The IWT is a binding legal document and unilateral withdrawal or suspension, as threatened by India, constitutes a flagrant breach of international law and treaty obligations. PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, echoing the nation’s sentiment, issued a stern warning saying if India refuses to honour its obligations under the treaty, we will fight another war and take all six rivers, a powerful reminder that Pakistan will not be bullied into surrendering its lifeline. The World Bank, as the treaty’s guarantor, bears the responsibility to ensure compliance and mediate any disputes. Water is not a weapon; it is a shared resource and deliberate politicisation of such a vital element only underscores India’s waning confidence. The world must see through this act of aggression masquerading as policy, and hold India accountable before it escalates a crisis with far-reaching and dangerous consequences. Pakistan has proven time and again that it can defend its borders and it will defend its share of water with the same resolve.
