'We'll Cut Off Hands': Pakistan Minister Issues Fresh Threat Over Indus Waters Treaty

In yet another escalation of rhetoric over the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), Pakistan's Climate Change Minister Musadik Malik threatened to "cut off those hands" that sought to claim what he described as Pakistan's share of water under the decades-old agreement.

His remarks come amid rising tensions after India placed the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance following the 2025 Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 25 tourists and a local resident.

Addressing a press conference, Malik accused India of trying to control Pakistan's share of water.

"There is a tap being controlled by the prime minister of a neighbouring country. He says he will not let even a drop of water flow into Pakistan," Malik said, according to Dawn.

Highlighting the importance of water to Pakistan's economy, he said 40-50 per cent of the country's population depends on agriculture for its livelihood.

"Someone else is trying to control the entirety of the country's food security, 50 per cent of employment in the country and 25 per cent of the economy," he said.

Malik claimed Pakistan had already made its position clear and warned of consequences if its water supply was disrupted.

"There is also the question of justice. We will protect ourselves... Not that we've just announced it, but we've proved that if anyone lays a hand over our share of water, we'll cut off that hand," he said.

The minister argued that water continues to flow between countries in many parts of the world even without formal treaties and questioned how India could stop water despite the existence of the Indus Waters Treaty.

"Does every upper riparian now have the right to stop the flow of water to the lower riparian?... But we even have a treaty. How can the water be stopped here then? This is the case that we will present," he said.

He added that Pakistan would pursue the matter internationally, saying the dispute was about justice and the rights of lower riparian countries to access water.

Pakistan says treaty remains legally binding

Speaking at the same press conference, Pakistan's Information Minister Attaullah Tarar asserted that the Indus Waters Treaty remains legally binding and cannot be suspended, revoked or amended unilaterally.

According to Dawn, Tarar said Pakistan's legal position had received international support because the treaty remained enforceable under international law.

He also reiterated statements made by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir that "water is our lifeline as well as our red line."

India's stand

The remarks from Islamabad come weeks after Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil told NDTV that India plans to fully utilise its share of the Indus waters within the next 18 to 24 months.

Patil said not a single drop of water allocated to India would be allowed to flow into Pakistan.

New Delhi suspended the Indus Waters Treaty after the deadly Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir. India has maintained that the treaty will remain in abeyance until Pakistan takes credible and verifiable action against cross-border terrorism and dismantles the infrastructure supporting it.

About the Indus Waters Treaty

Brokered by the World Bank in 1960, the Indus Waters Treaty governs the sharing of the Indus River system and its tributaries between India and Pakistan. Despite multiple wars and prolonged periods of diplomatic strain, the treaty remained operational for decades before India suspended its implementation following the 2025 terror attack.