New Delhi paused its participation in the agreement following the killing of 26 tourists in Indian-controlled Kashmir last April
2-MIN READ2-MINAssociated PressPublished: 8:43am, 1 Jul 2026Islamabad has warned that any attempt by India to deprive Pakistan of its share of water under the Indus Waters Treaty would amount to the “weaponisation of water” and could have serious consequences for regional peace and security.Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and other government officials made the remarks at an international seminar on the 1960 World Bank – brokered treaty, which governs the sharing of water from the Indus River system between the nuclear-armed neighbours.The treaty has come under renewed strain after India suspended its participation in the agreement following the killing of 26 tourists in Indian-controlled Kashmir last April. New Delhi blamed Pakistan-based militants for the attack, a charge Islamabad denied while offering to participate in an independent investigation.The attack triggered one of the sharpest deteriorations in relations between the rivals in decades. Both countries downgraded diplomatic and trade ties, closed their main land border crossing and revoked visas for each other’s nationals.The tensions later escalated into tit-for-tat missile strikes in May 2025 before a ceasefire was announced by US President Donald Trump. Relations have remained frozen since.A Pakistani youth jumps into the Indus River along the southern city of Sukkur. Photo: AFPSpeaking at the seminar, Dar said water should never be used as a political tool.
