Pakistan warns of war with India over Indus water supplies

Pakistan’s defence minister, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, warned that any threat to Pakistan’s water security could trigger a military response against India. He said, “When we feel our national security, including water security, is threatened, we will go to war with India.” The warning follows India’s suspension of the 66‑year‑old Indus River Treaty after a cross‑border attack in Kashmir killed 26 people. India maintains the treaty will remain suspended until Pakistan ends cross‑border terrorism, while Pakistan accuses New Delhi of planning projects that could restrict or abruptly release water from the western rivers, potentially flooding agricultural areas or denying vital irrigation.

The Indus basin provides about 80 % of Pakistan’s water for drinking, irrigation and hydro‑electric power, supporting over 90 % of its cultivated land and all 21 of its hydro‑electric plants. Experts say water is becoming a coercive tool in the already fragile economies of both nations, which are under IMF programmes. The dispute has been raised at the United Nations Security Council, highlighting the risk that water scarcity could evolve into a flashpoint for broader conflict in the sub‑continent.