South Asia — 2026-07-01

Pakistan Accuses India of Weaponizing River Waters as Chenab Flow Cuts Escalate Indus Treaty Dispute

BLUFEscalating rhetoric from both capitals is hardening domestic political constraints that will narrow future negotiating space, even as the treaty's operational status remains frozen at its April 2025 baseline.

Pakistan Climate Change Minister Musadik Malik told a press conference that Islamabad would "cut off those hands" attempting to control water it claims under the Indus Waters Treaty, accusing India's prime minister of running a "tap" that would deny Pakistan "even a drop," a claim Dawn tied to Indian Water Minister CR Patil's own statement that New Delhi was working to ensure "not a single drop" reaches Pakistan 1234. Malik spoke alongside Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, who said the treaty remains legally binding and cannot be suspended or amended unilaterally by India, citing statements from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Asim Munir describing water as Pakistan's "lifeline" and "red line" 14. India's Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal rejected the remarks as an attempt to deflect from Pakistan's "human rights abuses" and reiterated that the treaty, suspended after the April 2025 Pahalgam attack, stays in abeyance until Pakistan takes "credible, concrete action" against cross-border terrorism 23. Separately, India's UN representative Anupama Singh told the Human Rights Council the 1960 pact is outdated given Pakistan's alleged state sponsorship of terrorism 1, while Dawn reported Tarar's information ministry insists the treaty "remains in force" and cannot be revoked 2.

Analysis
Malik's threat language and Tarar's insistence the treaty "remains in force" mark a hardening of Islamabad's declaratory position rather than any operational shift, since river flow, infrastructure, and military posture remain unchanged, and Dawn's account, amplified but not corroborated by other Indian outlets, is the sole primary record of the exchange. New Delhi has paired its abeyance stance with a new UN Human Rights Council push framing the 1960 pact as outdated given alleged Pakistani state sponsorship of terrorism, escalating from suspension to a legitimacy challenge. The timing, two days ahead of Islamabad's own treaty seminar, suggests domestic political theater may be driving Malik's rhetoric as much as any signal of unilateral action.

5 sources

We will cut off those hands: Pakistan minister threatens India over Indus water row - Business Today India
'We'll Cut Off Hands That...': Pakistan Minister Threatens India Over Indus - The Quint
Will 'Cut Off Those Hands,' Pakistan Minister Warns India Over Indus Water Treaty - Outlook India
'We'll Cut Off Hands': Pakistan Minister Issues Fresh Threat Over Indus Waters Treaty - IBTimes India
'Water is our red line': Info minister says IWT cannot be unilaterally revoked or amended, remains in force - Dawn.com