Pakistan threatens India over Indus Waters Treaty

Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has warned that Islamabad could resort to military action if it believes India's moves on the Indus river system threaten Pakistan's water security, escalating rhetoric amid an increasingly bitter dispute over the suspended Indus Waters Treaty. Speaking to ARY News, Asif described water as a core national security issue and said Pakistan would not hesitate to respond if it perceived a serious threat to its access to Indus basin waters. "The moment we feel that our national security — and water is part of our national security — is being threatened, we will go to war against India. Definitely," he said.

We will go to war with India if they do not change their behavior regarding water.

Because water is life, and they are taking it away from us.

• Pak Defence Minister: Khawaja Asif pic.twitter.com/GAuwUqtdVO

— برهان الدین ‏| Burhan uddin (@burhan_uddin_0) June 20, 2026

The remarks came after a video clip surfaced of India's Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil indicating that the flow of Indus waters to Pakistan could be completely stopped by June 2028. The treaty governs the sharing of waters from the Indus river system and allocates roughly 80 per cent of the basin's waters to Pakistan, making it critical for the country's agriculture, irrigation network and broader economy.India has been firm on the suspension of the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, a consequence of the Pakistan-sponsored terror attack in Pahalgam in April 2025, which claimed 26 lives. New Delhi has said that the treaty will remain suspended until Pakistan takes credible, concrete action to dismantle its cross-border terror infrastructure.
As Pakistan faces growing water shortages and climate-related pressures, the Indus dispute has emerged as another major flashpoint in relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. Pakistan's own internal failure to manage water resources is evident, with a severe water crisis now impacting nearly one-third of its population, particularly in Sindh and Balochistan provinces.