Amid an ongoing water crisis and growing domestic challenges, Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has issued a fresh warning to India over water security after New Delhi reiterated that its decision to keep the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance remains unchanged. The remarks come as Pakistan faces mounting pressure over worsening water shortages, with experts pointing to years of mismanagement and inadequate infrastructure as key factors behind the crisis.
India has maintained a firm stance on suspending the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty following the Pakistan-backed terror attack in Pahalgam in April 2025, which left 26 people dead. New Delhi has stated that the treaty will stay suspended until Pakistan undertakes credible and concrete measures to dismantle its cross-border terrorism infrastructure.
Speaking to ARY News on Saturday, Asif said, "The moment we feel that our national security, and water is part of our national security, is being threatened, we will go to war against India. Definitely." He added that Islamabad would consider military action if it found evidence that India was acting at an "alarming speed" to disrupt water supplies.
Although the World Bank-mediated treaty has historically allowed Pakistan to use 80 per cent of the Indus River basin for agricultural purposes, the country’s present mismanagement of these resources has exposed its farmlands to heightened vulnerability.
Asif accused India of "weaponising water" by manipulating Chenab River flows and withholding data, but admitted he had no updated information on the issue. Meanwhile, Pakistan's worsening water crisis, driven by infrastructure failures and poor resource management, has left nearly one-third of the population affected, with severe canal deficits reported across Sindh.