Pakistan issues empty threats to India over Indus Waters Treaty: ‘…we will chop off the hands’

Islamabad. After its bluster regarding the Indus Waters Treaty failed to yield results, Pakistan has begun changing its stance like a chameleon. Amidst the ongoing dispute, Pakistan has once again issued empty threats to India. Musadik Malik, the Climate Change Minister in the Shehbaz government, stated that Islamabad would “chop off the hands” of anyone attempting to lay claim to Pakistan’s share of water under the Indus Waters Treaty.

Malik’s remarks come at a time when tensions between India and Pakistan have escalated over the decades-old Indus Waters Treaty. India had previously temporarily suspended the treaty following the Pahalgam terrorist attack.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Musadik Malik said, “We have declared that whoever lays a hand on our water, we will chop off that very hand. We haven’t just declared it; we have demonstrated it twice in the last year and a half… but the question is also one of justice. We will protect ourselves. We have shown twice that if you even reach out towards the air [threateningly], we will grab your hand… Has everyone been granted the right that those living upstream can block the water for those living downstream? Has the world been given this right?”

Musadik Malik reiterated that Pakistan is committed to safeguarding its share of water under the treaty. India will not be permitted to disrupt the water flow allocated to Pakistan.

What decision did India take?
Amidst the minister’s provocative statements, Pakistan is attempting to portray itself as a victim. To put it simply, India has not blocked the entire flow of the Indus River. The reality is that the water from the Indus River and its tributaries continues to flow towards Pakistan.

In fact, India has dismantled the support system regarding the water allocated to Pakistan under the Indus Waters Treaty. The two nations used to engage in dialogue regarding the flow of river water. Messages were exchanged, and there was constant communication concerning water flow, dams, projects, and water management. Now, however, India has suspended this engagement.

What is the Indus Waters Treaty?
The Indus Waters Treaty was signed in 1960, facilitated by the World Bank. The objective of the treaty was to establish a framework for how India and Pakistan would share the waters of the Indus River and its tributaries—specifically, determining which country would receive water from which river and the extent of usage for each. This treaty has governed water sharing between the two nations ever since 1960.