ISLAMABAD:
The Ministry of Water Resources has told the National Assembly India’s continued silence on the Indus Waters Treaty is increasingly drawing international attention.
In a written reply submitted to the lower house, the ministry said India unilaterally suspended the 1960 treaty with regard to sharing of rivers in April 2025 after a militant attack in the held Kashmir.
According to the ministry’s reply, it said due to the non-availability of water in the Chenab River, approximately 1.45 million acres of agricultural land under the Upper Chenab Canal, originating from the Marala Headworks, will be severely affected.
Similarly, around 3.19 million acres of agricultural land under the Chenab Canal from the Khanki Headworks will face serious impact.
Currently, per capita annual water availability stands at 819 cubic meters. In 1951, per capita water availability exceeded 5,000 cubic meters.
By 2030, per capita water availability is projected to decline further to 744 cubic meters. This situation may give rise to serious social and economic challenges.
On Wednesday, the NA session began under the chairmanship of Deputy Speaker Syed Ghulam Mustafa Shah. The session commenced with a delay of half an hour.
Instead of responding to Pakistan’s and UN experts’ concerns over the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) suspension, India has chosen to remain silent.
United Nations’ special representatives had asked India to respond to its actions regarding the IWT by December 16, 2026. However, even 34 days since announcement of the deadline, no response has been received from New Delhi.
Five UN special rapporteurs and one independent expert examined India’s military response to the April 22 Pahalgam attack and the broader legal and humanitarian consequences of its actions in a report compiled on October 16, 2025 but made public on December 15, 2025.
The experts warned that any disruption to the implementation of the treaty could have serious consequences for the rights of millions of people in Pakistan who depend on the Indus River system for drinking water, agriculture, food security and livelihoods.
Under the IWT, the three eastern riversthe River Beas, the River Ravi and the River Sutlejwere allocated to India while the three western riversthe River Indus, the River Chenab and the River Jhelumwere allocated to Pakistan.
Pakistan in December 2025 formally contacted India over its water aggression, seeking explanation of an unusual reduction in the flows at the River Chenab.
“Pakistan seeks explanation from India over the unusual reduction in River Chenab flows,” Office of the Pakistan Commissioner for Indus Waters said in a statement on December 12.
According to the statement, hydrological records from the first half of December confirmed that an extraordinary reduction in flows was observed at the River Chenab, persisting from December 10 to December 16.
During this window, the river flow frequently dropped and the lowest flow observed was 870 cusecs, which was significantly below the historical 10-year minimum range of approximately 4,018 to 4,406 cusecs for those dates.
“In order to assess the reason for extraordinary reduction in flows of the Chenab Main at Marala, a significant reduction in surface area of Baglihar has been observed on a satellite imagery of December 8, 2025 which was increased as per the imagery of December 13, 2025,” it said.
