Army brass vows to take all measures to ensure Pakistan's 'rightful share of water' amid IWT tensions with India

Strongly condemns ongoing human rights violations in IIOJK, declaring that Kashmir remains jugular vein of Pakistan

RAWALPINDI:

The military's top brass on Monday expressed a resolute commitment to undertake all necessary measures to ensure the availability of Pakistan’s "rightful share of water" amid tensions with India over the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT).

For more than six decades, India and Pakistan amicably managed the Indus River system through the IWT transboundary water-sharing agreement signed on September 19, 1960. In April last year, India suspended the treaty in the wake of the Pahalgam attack. Last week, Pakistan held an IWT seminar at which the political leadership pledged a robust defence of Pakistan’s rights under the treaty through all available legal and diplomatic means, warning that any attempt to deprive the country of its share of water would have “profound consequences for regional peace and security”.

According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir presided over the 276th Corps Commanders’ Conference (CCC) at General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi.

The statement said that the forum took note of Indian rhetoric surrounding the IWT and reaffirmed the guidance issued in the National Security Committee’s directive of April 24, 2025.

“It expressed a resolute commitment to undertake all measures necessary to ensure the availability of Pakistan’s rightful share of water as per the directives of the Government and the aspirations of the people of Pakistan,” ISPR said.

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The statement further added that the forum expressed serious concerns over the continued use of territory under the control of the Afghan Taliban regime by Indian sponsored terrorist groups, including Fitna-al Khawarij and Fitna-al Hindustan to orchestrate attacks inside Pakistan.

Fitna-al Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) while Fitna-al Hindustan is a term designated by the state for terrorist organisations in Balochistan.

"The forum affirmed that lasting peace and stability in the region is contingent upon preventing use of Afghan Taliban controlled territory by Indian terrorist proxies for which the Afghan Taliban regime is directly responsible," it stated.

The forum noted that Pakistan had an unequivocal right to defend its people from terrorism and the armed forces shall continue Intelligence-Based Operations against terrorism emanating from Afghan Taliban controlled territory under the ambit of Operation Ghazab lil Haq.

Operation Ghazab Lil Haq was launched around the end of February following renewed clashes along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, after Afghan Taliban forces fired on multiple locations, prompting swift military retaliation by Pakistan.

According to ISPR, the military top brass underscored the immediate need for putting in place robust governance structures in restive areas which were directed towards public service and welfare as well as to break the nefarious terror-crime nexus thriving under vested political patronage. 

The forum noted that after what it described as the comprehensive defeat inflicted in Marka-e-Haq, "there is an increased reliance on an evolving pattern of externally supported hybrid warfare and disinformation campaigns aimed at causing unrest."

The term “Marka-e-Haq” refers to the 2025 conflict with India, which began with the April 22 Pahalgam attack and concluded with a ceasefire on May 10 following Operation Bunyanum Marsoos.

It condemned all forms of state-supported financing, facilitation and sponsorship of proxies, and said any attempts to destabilise Pakistan through hybrid means would continue to be countered with “strategic clarity and firm resolve.”

The ISPR said that the forum also reviewed the evolving regional situation and appreciated Pakistan's constructive role in promoting dialogue, de-escalation and regional stability.

"It reaffirmed Pakistan's commitment to peaceful conflict resolution, respect for international law and enhanced regional cooperation to address shared security challenges," read the statement.

The conference participants rejected and strongly condemned the ongoing human rights violations and unilateral demographic engineering in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), declaring that Kashmir remains the jugular vein of Pakistan.

"Reaffirming Pakistan's unyielding diplomatic, political and moral support to the Kashmir cause, it emphasised that true regional stability hinges entirely on granting the Kashmiri people their inalienable right to self-determination in accordance with United Nations Security Council resolutions," it added.

The statement stated that CDF Munir directed commanders to follow up expeditiously on the multi-domain transformation plan in line with the evolving character of war.

"He also called upon the commanders to maintain the highest standards of vigilance, operational readiness and professional excellence, emphasising integrated responses to conventional, sub-conventional and hybrid threats while safeguarding Pakistan's sovereignty and national interests at all costs," the statement said.

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The military's media wing said that the forum offered fateha for the Shuhada of the armed forces, law enforcement agencies, and innocent civilians, reaffirming that "their sacrifices remain the foundation of Pakistan's security, unity and resilience."

ISPR said the top military leadership also reviewed the prevailing security environment and expressed satisfaction over the operational preparedness, professionalism and combat readiness of the Pakistan Armed Forces.

In May, the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in the Hague upheld its earlier award supporting the continued validity of the IWT, ruling that India cannot unilaterally suspend the agreement. The tribunal reaffirmed that the treaty remained in force, rejecting arguments that either party may withdraw or suspend it without mutual consent. It said the legal framework governing the sharing of the Indus river system continued to bind both India and Pakistan.

In a prior award issued last year, the tribunal directed that India must allow the waters of the western rivers to flow for Pakistan’s “unrestricted use,” reinforcing Pakistan’s interpretation of the treaty’s water allocation provisions.

The Indus Waters Treaty

After years of negotiations, facilitated by the World Bank, the IWT was signed in September 1960 by then-Indian PM Jawaharlal Nehru and former Pakistani President Ayub Khan. India was given control over the three eastern rivers—Ravi, Sutlej, and Beas—while Pakistan was assigned control over the three western rivers—Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab. According to the treaty, India is legally bound to allow the waters of the western rivers to flow into Pakistan, with only a few exceptions.

According to the treaty, Pakistan has unrestricted use of these rivers, while India is permitted to construct hydroelectric facilities on them under specific conditions. These projects must conform to design constraints outlined in the treaty’s annexures, ensuring that they are "run-of-the-river" and do not significantly alter water flow or storage to Pakistan’s detriment.

Pakistan, which receives roughly 80 per cent of the water in the Indus river system, relies heavily on these rivers. Of the 16.8 crore acre-feet of water in the system, India is allocated around 3.3 crore acre-feet. At present, India uses slightly more than 90 per cent of its permitted share, leaving Pakistan deeply dependent on the remainder.