The National Security Committee (NSC) on Thursday declared that any attempt by India to obstruct Pakistan’s rightful share of water will be regarded as an act of war.
The statement came during a high-level National Security Committee (NSC) meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
The forum firmly rejected India’s unilateral announcement to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty, declaring Pakistan’s water rights a vital national interest and the lifeline of its 240 million citizens.
“Any attempt to block or divert Pakistan’s share of water under the treaty will be considered an act of war,” the committee noted.
The meeting was convened to assess India’s post-Pahalgam actions, particularly its move to suspend the decades-old water-sharing agreement brokered by the World Bank.
Senior officials, including Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, and top military commanders attended the session. The committee expressed grave concern over what it termed India’s unilateral and impractical decisions.
The warning follows India’s recent decision to halt the Indus Waters Treaty and expel Pakistani nationals following a attack in IIOJK’s Pahalgam district that killed 26 tourists. India, without launching a formal investigation, blamed Pakistan, calling it a case of “cross-border terrorism”.
Earlier, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said that the NSC will issue a “comprehensive reply” to India’s accusations, which he described as lacking both seriousness and evidence.
FM Dar criticised India’s “knee-jerk reaction” to the killing of 26 tourists in Pahalgam, stressing that no links to Pakistan had been established. “This is unjustified anger,” he remarked, “and it amounts to scapegoating Pakistan for internal failures.”
He further asserted that the Indus Waters Treaty cannot be unilaterally suspended, as it is an international agreement mediated by the World Bank.
On Wednesday, Pakistan’s foreign ministry offered condolences over the loss of tourist lives. “We are concerned at the loss of tourists’ lives in an attack in Anantnag district of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. We extend our condolences to the near ones of the deceased and wish the injured a speedy recovery,” the Foreign Office said in a statement.
