Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar has said the Indus Waters Treaty is not merely a water-sharing arrangement, but a vital instrument of regional peace, stability and cooperation.

He was addressing an international seminar on the Indus Waters Treaty in Islamabad today.

Ishaq Dar said the shared waters must remain a bridge between nations, guided by cooperation, dialogue and respect for international law for the benefit of the present and future generations.

The Deputy Prime Minister recalled that Pakistan and India concluded the Indus Waters Treaty in 1960 under the auspices of the World Bank. The treaty established a durable and carefully negotiated framework, allocating three eastern rivers to India and three western rivers to Pakistan.

Ishaq Dar underscored that the treaty justified that confidence for more than six decades, including periods of war and political tension. It has rightly been regarded as one of the most successful examples of trans-boundary water cooperation anywhere in the world. He said it is regrettable that this landmark treaty now faces its gravest challenge. He said India's unilateral decision to place the treaty in abeyance has no basis in the treaty itself or in international law.

Ishaq Dar said Pakistan rejects India's unilateral and illegal announcement. He added that the Indus Waters Treaty remains valid, binding and operative. No party can unilaterally suspend or terminate its obligations under a treaty that contains no such provision.

The Deputy Prime Minister stressed the need to promote peace in South Asia by addressing all outstanding issues. He said Pakistan has consistently sought to resolve differences through dialogue, diplomacy and the treaty-based mechanisms agreed by both parties.

Ishaq Dar made it clear that any attempt to deprive Pakistan of the waters rightfully allocated to Pakistan under the treaty would have profound consequences for regional peace and security.

The Deputy Prime Minister said Pakistan would safeguard and defend its rights and interests under international law through all available means. 

Addressing the seminar, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari  said any move to block, divert, manipulate, or control Pakistan's rightful waters will not be treated as routine engineering.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said the Indus cannot be held hostage and the treaty cannot be suspended by arrogance.

He said the river cannot be turned into a weapon and the thirst of children cannot become the policy of a neighbouring state. He made it clear that Pakistan will never surrender its waters.

The PPP Chairman said Pakistan wants dialogue, but it must be under the law. He said Pakistan wants coexistence, but not submission. He said Pakistan will defend its water, people, the treaty, sovereignty, and future.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said by weaponising water, India is not merely violating a treaty but is also pushing South Asia towards the edge of strategic catastrophe. He warned that Pakistan must respond militarily if it sees an attack on its rivers as a military assault.

In his remarks, Vice President of the Centre for China and Globalization Dr Victor Gao said threatening to stop the flow of water to downstream countries in times of peace is a crime against humanity, while this act becomes a war crime if done in times of war.

He expressed China's commitment to defend the fundamental interests of Pakistan, especially including Pakistan's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Addressing the seminar, former President of the National Defence University, Islamabad, Lieutenant General (Retired) Aamer Riaz said any intention of taking Pakistan's waters is a very serious threat to Pakistan's national security.

He said the Indus Waters Treaty has to be kept alive at all costs. He stressed the need to keep all international legal discourses fully activated.

In her remarks, Global Policy Expert Laurie Watkins called for the unconditional restoration of the permanent Indus Water Commission's engagements. She said the meeting schedule is a legal obligation and not a diplomatic favour.

Laurie Watkins further said real-time data must flow in both directions transparently. She said the two sides must respect the arbitral process. She said the Court of Arbitration has jurisdiction and its awards are valid. She added that non-participation and rejection do not make the awards just disappear.

Laurie Watkins urged the international community to affirm that abeyance has no basis in international water law. She said unilateral suspension of a treaty's obligations is not a recognized legal act under the framework governed by shared watercourses.

Addressing the seminar, former Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar said all the provisions of this treaty shall continue in force until terminated by a duly ratified treaty concluded for that purpose between the two governments.

She said the Indus Waters Treaty, being a water-sharing arrangement, survived three wars.

Hina Rabbani Khar urged the international community to play its due role in mitigating the situation.