ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Tahir Andrabi has rejected India’s plan to build a river-linking project that would divert water from the Chenab to the Beas river, calling it a “grave violation” of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) and other relevant international laws.
“Pakistan retains all options necessary to safeguard its rights and entitlements under the Treaty, and to protect its vital national interests,” the spokesperson stated this while addressing the weekly media briefing on Thursday.
India has neither officially communicated nor shared any notice of these projects, nor has it sought consultations in this regard, he said, adding that these projects confirm that India seeks to weaponise water. This carries dangerous implications not only for Pakistan’s economy, but also for regional stability and international peace and security.
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Responding to queries, Andrabi said, “We have seen this report, including the public tender document issued by the Government of India. India has invited bids for the Chenab-Beas Link Tunnel Project with the intention of transferring 1.9 million acre-feet of water annually from the Chenab River into the Beas system. This acreage is an estimate right now.
Such an inter-basin diversion of water from the Chenab into the Beas River system constitutes a grave violation not just of the Indus Waters Treaty, but also of the law of treaties, particularly the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, as well as the broader framework of international water law, including the principles reflected in the 1997 UN Convention on Watercourses, the FO spokesperson added.
The second project, Andrabi highlighted, “I would also like to mention here, is the proposed silt flushing of the Salal Dam reservoir in Reasi District of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. This is a deeply concerning development. It will provide water-control capability that is not permissible either under the Indus Waters Treaty or the 1978 Salal Agreement.
Andrabi said Pakistan has exercised restraint and responsibility, and we remain committed to dialogue and the peaceful resolution of disputes.
Such actions amount to further destabilisation of South Asia, with potentially grave consequences for the people of the entire region, he warned.
The international community must call upon India to desist from any form of water coercion, abandon projects that seek to stop, reduce, or divert water flows legally belonging to Pakistan, and restore the full and faithful implementation of the Indus Waters Treaty.
On the Abraham Accords, the spokesperson emphasised that Pakistan’s position on the Abraham Accords remains consistent. Our benchmark is the establishment of a viable, contiguous State of Palestine, with Jerusalem (Al-Quds Al-Sharif) as its capital, within the agreed pre-1967 borders.
To another query, Tahir Andrabi categorically and unequivocally rejected the assertion that the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister shared any intelligence regarding Iran with the US Secretary of State. Such claims are entirely baseless, speculative, and appear to be aimed at undermining ongoing diplomatic efforts and the broader process of dialogue and engagement, he added.
The discussion focused on regional peace, stability, and the importance of pursuing diplomatic solutions to ongoing challenges. No intelligence was shared during the course of this dialogue.
Pakistan also welcomes the positive role played by the United States in facilitating the ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel.
The spokesperson said Pakistan is a signatory to several international UN human rights conventions and the ILO labour standards.
He added that Pakistan’s advocacy of dialogue and diplomacy includes Afghanistan as well.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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