Water must never be used as a weapon, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Asim Iftikhar, told United Nations (UN).
He said the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), which has been in place for more than six decades, remains Pakistan’s lifeline and cannot be suspended unilaterally by any party.
He noted that the treaty has endured despite tensions between Pakistan and India, showing that agreements on shared resources can last when respected.
At a time when devastating floods have once again hit Pakistan, he stressed that cooperation over water is not a choice but a necessity.
Under the IWT, both countries were supposed to share detailed water-flow data regularly. Since India has stopped following the agreement, concerns have grown that New Delhi might either block water to Pakistan or cause flooding by suddenly releasing large amounts.
The remarks came at the time when India earlier released more water into the Sutlej River, raising fears of fresh flooding. Authorities in India issued a high flood alert downstream of Harike and Ferozepur barrages.
The Indian High Commission informed Islamabad of the alert, while Pakistan’s Ministry of Water Resources updated provincial governments and relevant departments on the situation.
At Trimmu Barrage, the current inflow and outflow had reached 178,932 cusecs.
Flooding has caused severe damage in seven villages of Pakpattan, forcing thousands of people to evacuate.
Rescue teams continued boat operations for a second day, moving around 3,500 people and 250 animals to safer areas. Floodwater also destroyed rice and maize crops spread across hundreds of acres.
Indus River water levels surge at Punjnad Barrage
Punjab Chief Secretary Zahid Akhtar Zaman, on the orders of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, rushed to Alipur in Muzaffargarh as water levels surged in the Indus River at Punjnad Headworks. The inflow and outflow at the barrage rose to 668,195 cusecs.
Officials said the flood stream that struck central Punjab has now moved towards south Punjab and is heading into Sindh.
The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) reported that the monsoon season has weakened, and no major rise in Punjab’s rivers is expected. According to the PDMA Director General, rains in the upper catchment areas have ended, and Punjab’s tenth spell of monsoon rains has concluded.
The PDMA also said that heavy rainfall is not expected in the coming week, though high to very high flood levels remain in several rivers.
