Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has warned that the ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan could be jeopardised if the two sides fail to resolve their long-standing water dispute in upcoming negotiations.
Dar stressed the seriousness of the issue, stating that failure to reach an agreement on water-sharing arrangements “will amount to an act of war,” Caliber.Az reports, citing Pakistani media.
He also reiterated Pakistan’s stance on the Kashmir conflict, describing it as “the root cause of this regional instability” and advocating for the region’s “future self-determination.”
Talks between the two nuclear-armed neighbours are expected to take place amid ongoing tensions, with water rights under the Indus Waters Treaty remaining a key point of contention.
Note that, the ongoing water dispute between India and Pakistan primarily revolves around the allocation of water from the Indus River system, a key source for both nations. The Indus Waters Treaty, signed in 1960, governs the distribution of river waters, with India controlling the eastern rivers and Pakistan the western ones.
However, tensions have risen over the construction of dams and hydropower projects by India on rivers that flow into Pakistan, with Islamabad expressing concerns about potential reductions in water supply.
In recent years, Pakistan has raised alarms about the impact of India’s dam projects, such as the Kishanganga and Ratle dams, arguing that they could significantly reduce water flow, thereby harming agricultural and economic activities in Pakistan’s water-dependent regions.
Conversely, India asserts that the projects comply with the Indus Waters Treaty and are necessary for power generation and water management.
The dispute remains unresolved, with both sides accusing each other of violating treaty terms.
By Aghakazim Guliyev
Source: caliber.az
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