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In a move marked by desperate rhetoric, Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has threatened war against India over water security. This sabre-rattling comes even as his government faces widespread domestic instability and an internal water crisis that experts attribute to gross mismanagement.
Speaking to ARY News on Saturday, Asif declared, "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 further claimed that military action would be a consideration should Islamabad find evidence that India is acting at an "alarming speed" to disrupt water supplies. These provocative comments arrive in the wake of New Delhi's firm suspension of the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, a consequence of the Pakistan-sponsored terror attack in Pahalgam in April 2025, which claimed 26 lives. India has remained steadfast in its stance that the treaty will remain suspended until Pakistan takes credible, concrete action to dismantle its cross-border terror infrastructure. While the World Bank-brokered treaty historically permits Pakistan to utilise 80 per cent of the Indus water basin for its agricultural needs, the nation's current failure to manage these resources has left its farmlands vulnerable. Asif attempted to deflect blame towards New Delhi, accusing it of "weaponising water", manipulating the Chenab River flows, and withholding data. However, his credibility was undermined when he admitted that, despite his claims that Pakistani teams had previously performed "around 115 inspections", he lacked any current information on developments over the past year. Meanwhile, Pakistan's internal failure is evident, with a severe water crisis now impacting nearly one-third of its population, specifically within Sindh and Balochistan. Official data from Sindh's irrigation department highlights a failing infrastructure: the North West Canal faces a 64.1 per cent deficit, while the Rice and Dadu Canals report shortages of 38 per cent and 82 per cent, respectively. As water levels at the critical Sukkur Barrage continue to collapse, local leaders are warning of an "economic massacre" caused by the state's inability to resolve internal water distribution disputes. (ANI)
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