Senators fire broadside at India

ISLAMABAD:

Senators on Friday fired a broadside at India over its attempts to unilaterally suspend the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), warning that such a provocation would cross a red line and could trigger legal, diplomatic and even military retaliation under international law.

Taking the floor during a Senate session chaired by Senator Irfan Siddiqui at Parliament House, PTI parliamentary leader Barrister Ali Zafar asserted that India had no lawful grounds to pull the plug on the decades-old treaty.

He cautioned that tampering with the flow of water was tantamount to a declaration of war.

The legal expert cited international law, including Article 51 of the UN Charter and Articles 54 and 49 of the Geneva Convention, saying the provisions leave no wiggle room.

Pakistan reserves the right to respond with full force across all fronts if India dares to stop even a single drop, he added.

He went on to warn that if India violated the treaty, Pakistan had the legal right to destroy Indian dams with missiles or disable their functionality through military force.

"International law says that if India blocks even a single drop of water, Pakistan can strike their dams with missiles."

"Article 12(4) of the Indus Waters Treaty clearly states that no unilateral changes can be made. If alterations are necessary, both countries must negotiate and enter into a new agreement," Zafar added.

He also recalled India's past violations, including the construction of the Kishanganga Dam, where Pakistan approached the international court too late. "We are a lower riparian state. International law says that lower riparian states have an inalienable right to water. Denying that right can be countered by any measure necessary to preserve the treaty."

Zafar pointed out that Pakistan built one of the world's largest canal systems under the IWT and that any attempt by India to disrupt it shows its unreliability and contempt for international commitments.

"The time is ripe to expose India's actions to the world," the PTI leader stressed.

"When we previously sought international arbitration, India used statements by our own ministers against us. Now, it alleges terrorism as a pretext for suspending the treaty."

"If we fail to resolve this water crisis, people will starve. This is bigger than politics," the PTI leader stressed.

PTI's Senator Dr Humayun Mohmand likened India's actions to a hostile neighbour cutting off water. "If someone blocks water from your adjacent house, you either persuade them to open it or you open it yourself," he said.

"India only understands the language of force."

He dismissed statements by Pakistan's finance minister downplaying the immediate impact of India's actions. "If Modi cared about international norms, he wouldn't be doing this," he said. "Land grabbers only understand a Kalashnikov pressed to their temple."

JUI-F Senator Kamran Murtaza also criticised India's longstanding behaviour. "India has always created water-related problems for us," he said.

He stressed the need for a Senate committee comprising members from all parties to examine the issue thoroughly and advise the government accordingly.