Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Tuesday that the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) could not be amended, revoked, suspended or held in abeyance unilaterally, saying respect for international agreements was essential to regional peace and stability.

Addressing the inaugural session of an international seminar titled “Indus Waters Treaty: An Instrument of Peace and Regional Stability,” Tarar said the event concerned the lifeline of more than 240 million people in Pakistan.

He said Pakistan’s identity was deeply connected with the Indus River and the Indus Valley Civilization, describing water as a matter of life for the country and saying its people had an inalienable right to the waters of the Indus.

Tarar said the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, signed under the auspices of the World Bank, had endured wars, political upheavals and prolonged periods of tension for more than six decades, demonstrating that cooperation, dialogue and adherence to international commitments remained the only sustainable path to peace.

He described the treaty as an example of the rules-based international order, saying it embodied the principles of good faith, pacta sunt servanda, or the sanctity of agreements, and the peaceful resolution of disputes.

Tarar said Pakistan’s leadership, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir and Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, had made it clear that the treaty could not be amended, revoked, suspended or held in abeyance unilaterally.

He said the agreement had been concluded through mutual consensus and any amendment or revision could only be made through mutual agreement between the parties.

The minister said India’s attempt to unilaterally hold the treaty in abeyance had resulted in international embarrassment for India at various forums, including legal forums, adding that the moral, social and legal foundations of such an attempt were weak.

Tarar said protecting the treaty had become more urgent as climate change accelerated, glaciers melted at unprecedented rates and water scarcity emerged as a defining challenge.

He said South Asia’s future depended on transforming water from a source of contention into a catalyst for cooperation, adding that rivers connected civilisations and that shared challenges required shared solutions.

He warned that the weaponisation of water or unilateral attempts to alter established arrangements undermined regional peace and stability as well as the broader framework of international law.

Tarar said Pakistan remained committed to peaceful engagement, constructive dialogue and faithful implementation of the treaty, but added that if any attempt was made to stop Pakistan’s water, the country’s leadership was resolved to respond effectively to restore water for its people.

He said Pakistan would continue raising the issue at international forums, legally and otherwise, to protect its water rights and maintain that any attempt to alter the treaty could not be undertaken unilaterally.

Tarar said agriculture remained the backbone of Pakistan’s economy and that millions depended on it for their livelihoods. He expressed confidence that Pakistan would continue safeguarding its water rights and the Indus Waters Treaty as an instrument of peace and regional stability.