Pakistan Field Marshal Asim Munir warned of taking all necessary measures to secure the country's water rights under the Indus Waters Treaty.
The threat was issued during the 276th Corps Commanders' Conference chaired by Munir at the Rawalpindi general headquarters.
New Delhi has held the 1960 transboundary water agreement in abeyance since the April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack.
Pakistan Field Marshal Asim Munir threatened to undertake “all measures necessary” to secure the nation's water share under the Indus Waters Treaty. He issued the warning on Monday, July 6, 2026, while chairing the 276th Corps Commanders’ Conference at the Rawalpindi general headquarters.
The Inter-Services Public Relations stated that the military is committed to securing Pakistan's water rights.
“The forum expressed resolute commitment to undertake all measures necessary to ensure availability of Pakistan’s rightful share of water as per the directives of the government and aspirations of the people of Pakistan,” the statement read.
India paused the cross-border pact following the Pahalgam terror attack in April 2025.
Military Reaffirms War Threat
The military conference reaffirmed guidance issued by Pakistan's National Security Committee in 2025 which followed the April 2025 terror attack, when the civilian administration rejected India's move as a unilateral violation of the binding international accord brokered by the World Bank.
Officials warned that stopping or diverting water would be viewed as an “act of war” that would invite a response “across the complete spectrum of national power”.
“If anyone lays a hand on Islamabad’s share of water, we’ll cut off that hand,” Climate Minister Musadik Malik said in June 2026.
History of the Treaty
The 1960 accord, brokered by the World Bank, has endured decades of geopolitical friction and survived several armed conflicts and deep political enmity between the two nuclear-armed nations.
Under the framework, India controls the eastern rivers Ravi, Beas and Sutlej. Meanwhile, Islamabad holds rights to the western rivers Indus, Jhelum and Chenab, which account for roughly 80 per cent of the basin's water.
To ease technical cooperation, the pact set up a Permanent Indus Commission while also outlining a clear mechanism to resolve disagreements using neutral specialists, international arbitration and the World Bank.
Political and Strategic Responses
Water and Power Development Authority Chairman Lt Gen (R) Muhammad Saeed wrote in Dawn, that these developments “severely threaten Pakistan’s long-term water security”.
“Pakistan’s response must be guided by confidence rather than complacency. The country should continue to defend the treaty through diplomacy, technical engagement and international law, with the firm expectation that India will have to return to its obligations under the treaty, while sustaining its long-standing national requirement of investing in strategic water infrastructure, expanding storage capacity, improving irrigation efficiency and adopting modern technologies for basin management,” Saeed added.
Islamabad's political leadership has consistently attacked New Delhi for pausing the pact. This criticism persists even though Pakistan lacks the necessary domestic infrastructure to manage its own water deficits.
“Pakistan’s right to water under the IWT is its inalienable right, it is our lifeline which we will protect. India’s unilateral failed attempt of holding IWT in abeyance has no legal or moral standing. This act has caused India nothing but embarrassment. It is a clear violation of ‘One Water-One Vision’ principle endorsed by the United Nations,” Pakistan's information and broadcasting minister wrote on X Monday.
“Come what may, Pakistan will defend and preserve the Indus Waters Treaty at all costs, InshaAllah,” Defence Minister Khwaja Asif added on X. “This is not merely a legal obligation. It is a matter of Pakistan’s water security, food security, energy security and national survival. No unilateral action, no illegal suspension and no pressure tactic can erase a international treaty that has safeguarded regional stability for more than six decades,” he wrote.
President Asif Ali Zardari led a high-level water resources meeting in April 2026 which described India's suspension of the pact as the "weaponisation of water". Zardari ordered officials to use legal and diplomatic channels to protect the rights of Pakistan.
