Pakistan has responded sharply to India’s unilateral announcement to hold the historic Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance, warning that any attempt by New Delhi to alter, deny, divert or interfere with Pakistan’s lawful share of water would carry grave consequences.

The position follows a National Security Committee declaration issued on April 24, 2026, which stated that the Indus Waters Treaty is a binding international agreement brokered by the World Bank and contains no provision for unilateral suspension. The NSC described water as a vital national interest and a lifeline for Pakistan’s population, warning that any attempt to stop or divert Pakistan’s water share, or to usurp the rights of the lower riparian, would be treated as an act of war and responded to across the full spectrum of national power.

New Delhi has moved beyond political rhetoric by restricting hydrological cooperation, accelerating work on hydropower infrastructure and initiating sediment-management measures at existing projects. The most serious concern for Islamabad is India’s proposed Rs2,352 crore Chenab-Beas Link Tunnel, which is designed to divert water from the Chenab basin, a Western River allocated to Pakistan under the treaty, into the Beas system.

Under the Indus Waters Treaty, the Western Rivers are reserved for Pakistan’s unrestricted use, making the Chenab-Beas proposal a direct challenge to the treaty framework by shifting water across distinct river systems. Indian political statements have further deepened concern in Pakistan. Former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur stated that the project would prevent surplus waters from flowing into Pakistan, while BJP leader Anurag Thakur described the initiative as “rubbing salt into Pakistan’s wounds.”

While India cannot stop the Indus system overnight, and a single tunnel cannot suddenly deprive Pakistan of its due share, Islamabad’s core concern lies in India’s calculated construction of upstream infrastructure to build leverage over downstream flows.

The stakes are critical. The Indus Basin supports more than 90 percent of Pakistan’s food production, while agriculture contributes roughly one quarter of national GDP and sustains tens of millions of livelihoods. Water availability directly affects food prices, employment, industrial output and overall economic stability, making water security inseparable from national security.

In response to India’s unilateral actions, Pakistan is preparing to operate on multiple fronts by improving management of its existing water system, constructing additional storage and pursuing legal recourse under treaty provisions, even as New Delhi’s unilateral position complicates the use of established mechanisms.

To fund these urgent measures, calls are growing to significantly enhance the federal Public Sector Development Programme of Rs1.1 trillion to meet WAPDA’s annual requirement of Rs600 billion to Rs900 billion. Provinces are also being urged to allocate a larger share of their development budgets to hydropower and water-storage infrastructure over the next decade.

Pakistan’s proposed domestic counter-strategy includes fast-tracking four Chenab storage projects identified by WAPDA at Chiniot, Wazirabad, Midh Ranjha and Shah Jiwana, with a combined capacity of nearly 4.5 million acre-feet.

The plan also includes accelerating construction of Diamer-Bhasha Dam, Mohmand Dam and the proposed Dudhnial Multipurpose Project. Additional measures include expanding the Marala-Ravi Link Canal to divert floodwaters and building a new Mangla-Marala Link Canal to stabilize supplies during low-water periods.

On the agricultural front, the strategy calls for shifting from water-intensive crops to drought-resistant varieties in Chenab-dependent districts. It also includes emergency canal lining to reduce the 30 to 40 percent of water reportedly lost through seepage.

Pakistan also aims to strengthen groundwater regulation and develop flood-storage and aquifer-recharge infrastructure to capture surplus monsoon flows. The broader objective is to counter India’s upstream leverage by building downstream capacity, storage and resilience.

Pakistan’s message remains clear: any violation of the Indus Waters Treaty affecting the country’s lawful water share would be treated as a direct threat to national survival and dealt with firmly.

Also Read: Pakistan Calls Water A National Security Priority