KARACHI: Saeed Ghani, Sindh Minister and President of Pakistan Peoples Party, Karachi Division and other PPP leaders from Karachi on Sunday warned that any attempt by India to suspend or undermine the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) would endanger the lives of 250 million Pakistanis and pledged the nation will defend their water rights at all costs.
Addressing participants of the protest rally under the banner “Marsoon Marsoon, Sindhu Na Desoon” (We Will Die but Will Not Give Up the Indus) the PPP said the Indus River was not merely an issue for Sindh but a lifeline for the entire nation.
The rally was organized by PPP District South on the instructions of PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, which was participated by a large number of people belonging to different tiers of society.
The rally, led by Saeed Ghani, marched from the Sindh Assembly building to the Karachi Press Club. Other prominent PPP leaders participating the rally were PPP District South President Javed Nagori, General Secretary Taimur Siyal, Abdul Majeed Mulla, Farid Memon, Aslam Samoon and Khalil Haut.
Addressing the rally, President PPP Karachi, Saeed Ghani said the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, brokered by the World Bank, clearly defined the rights and obligations of both Pakistan and India, and could not be suspended or altered unilaterally.
“Neither Pakistan nor India has the authority to disregard the treaty. Any amendment requires the consent of both countries. No international law or moral principle permits India to suspend this agreement unilaterally,” he argued.
He noted that despite the wars of 1965 and 1971, both countries continued to honour the treaty, underscoring its significance as one of the world’s most enduring water-sharing agreements.
Saeed Ghani pleaded that the waters of the Indus sustain Pakistan’s agriculture and provide drinking water to nearly 250 million people. This is not a provincial issue but a matter of national survival.
Referring to recent remarks by PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari at a public gathering in Sukkur, Ghani said the party had made it clear that any attempt to deprive Pakistan of its rightful share of water would be firmly resisted.
“If the Indus does not flow, the consequences will be grave. The Pakistani nation will not remain silent if the lives and livelihoods of 250 million people are threatened,” he said.
Ghani reiterated that Pakistan sought peace and believed disputes should be resolved through dialogue rather than conflict.
“We are a peace-loving nation and do not want war because war is never a solution. History has shown that even after conflicts, nations ultimately return to the negotiating table,” he said.
However, he cautioned that if Pakistan’s people were deprived of water essential for their survival, the country’s leadership would be left with few options.
“If our people are left hungry and deprived of the water necessary for life, no option other than defending our national interests will remain,” he said.
Calling the issue a national cause, Ghani urged Pakistanis to unite against what he termed India’s “water aggression,” saying the dispute transcended political affiliations.
“This is not the fight of the Army Chief, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari or Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif alone. It is the fight for the lives and future of 250 million Pakistanis,” he said.
He said Pakistan would continue to raise the issue at every available international forum and send a clear message that the country’s people stood united in defending their legitimate water rights under the Indus Waters Treaty.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026