India's suspension of Indus Water Treaty threatens ceasefire: Pakistan

Islamabad, May 13: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Ishaq Dar, has warned that the ceasefire between India and Pakistan could be jeopardised if New Delhi continues to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) and attempts to divert Pakistan’s water supply.

“The National Security Committee (NSC) of Pakistan has declared that if this treaty is tampered with, if the water is diverted or stopped, it will be treated as an act of war,” Dar told a US news broadcaster.

While welcoming the ceasefire between the two nations, Dar stressed the urgency of resolving the water-sharing dispute.

“We want to take the whole process forward in an honourable way, with dignity for both sides, and resolve, through a composite dialogue, the issues that can bring long-term peace and security to this region,” he said.

Dar’s remarks come after the two countries announced a ceasefire and agreed to uphold it during the first phase of direct communication via the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) level hotline contact on Monday.

India suspended the treaty following the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, which claimed the lives of 26 tourists.

In a national address on Monday night, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that his government would “measure every step of Pakistan” based on its approach to curbing cross-border terrorism.

Meanwhile, amid an uneasy calm following recent skirmishes and the ceasefire announcement, a gunfight broke out on Tuesday in the Keller area of Jammu and Kashmir’s Shopian district.

This marks the second terror-related incident in the Union Territory since the May 11 ceasefire declaration.

Security forces remain on high alert across the region, especially after the Pakistan Army reportedly violated the ceasefire on Saturday—despite both countries having agreed to halt all hostilities on land, air, and sea.

The Indus Waters Treaty, signed in 1960, governs the sharing of the waters of six rivers — the Indus, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej — between India and Pakistan.

--IANS