'Cut off hands...': Pakistan minister warns India over IWT
What's the story
Pakistan has issued a fresh threat to India over the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT). Climate Change Minister Musadik Malik said Islamabad would "cut off those hands" claiming its water share under the IWT, Dawn reported. The statement comes amid rising tensions after New Delhi suspended the treaty following the 2025 Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 civilians. Malik accused India of trying to control Pakistan's water supply and warned of consequences if Islamabad's rights were threatened.
Twitter Post
'Will cut off those hands': Pakistan minister
پاکستان پہلے ہی واضح کر چکا ہے کہ اگر کسی نے ہمارے پانی پر ہاتھ ڈالنے کی کوشش کی تو اسے بھرپور جواب دیا جائے گا
— Kippsam Malik (@KeepsamM) June 29, 2026
ہم دوٹوک اعلان کر چکے ہیں کہ جو ہمارے پانی پر ہاتھ ڈالے گا ہم وہ ہاتھ کاٹ دیں گے
ہم نے پہلے ہوا میں پکڑ کر ٹھوکا ہے اب نیچے سے بھی ٹھوکیں گے ۔ مصدق ملک pic.twitter.com/l4q4XfmpsN
Treaty status
IWT legally binding: Tarar
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar stressed that the IWT remains legally binding and cannot be unilaterally suspended or amended. He said Pakistan's position on the treaty has international support, adding that India's suspension of the agreement has not gained global backing. Tarar also reiterated Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir's stance that "water is our lifeline, as well as our red line."
Upcoming seminar
Pakistan to hold international seminar on treaty
The Pakistani ministers announced an international seminar on the IWT in Islamabad. Legal experts, water specialists, and foreign delegates are expected to attend. The seminar will discuss Pakistan's legal rights under the treaty and its technical aspects. The IWT, brokered by the World Bank in 1960, divides control of eastern rivers (Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej) to India and allocates most of the waters of the western rivers (Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab) to Pakistan.
Security threat
Pakistan warns of military action; India defends treaty suspension
Pakistan has repeatedly challenged India's decision to suspend the treaty and warned of military action if its water security is threatened. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said, "The moment we feel that our national security...is being threatened, we will go to war against India." Meanwhile, India has justified its decision by arguing that the treaty does not reflect present-day realities.
UN address
Treaty outdated, says India
At the United Nations Human Rights Council, India's First Secretary to the UN, Anupama Singh, said it was unreasonable for a country accused of sponsoring terrorism to expect continued cooperation under the treaty. She called the agreement outdated and said, "A treaty negotiated in 1960 cannot be treated as a perpetual entitlement which is insulated from accountability."