Pakistan challenges India's suspension of Indus water pact
Islamabad says New Delhi cannot unilaterally step back from the 1960 Indus Water Treaty, raising concern over a new point of tension.
By Daniel Okafor · Business Editor
2 min read
Pakistan has challenged India’s move to suspend participation in the Indus Water Treaty, a 1960 agreement governing the sharing of Indus River resources, according to Al Jazeera’s Inside Story. The dispute matters because the treaty has remained in place through decades of conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
Al Jazeera reported that New Delhi recently suspended its participation in the treaty after an attack that India said was carried out by armed groups linked to Pakistan. Pakistan denied that allegation, according to the programme.
Islamabad said this week that India cannot suspend the agreement on its own, Al Jazeera reported. Pakistan also described its share of the Indus River as a red line and warned of consequences, according to the programme.
A long-running water-sharing deal
The Indus Water Treaty was brokered in 1960 and sets out how India and Pakistan share the river’s resources, according to Al Jazeera. The agreement has endured repeated periods of hostility between the two countries, making the latest dispute a test of one of the region’s most durable arrangements.
Al Jazeera framed the issue as a possible flashpoint between Islamabad and New Delhi, asking how the two sides could avoid further escalation. The programme did not report a resolution to the dispute.
The water issue adds to tensions after the attack cited by India. India has linked the attack to armed groups it says are connected to Pakistan, while Pakistan has denied involvement, according to Al Jazeera.
Experts discuss escalation risks
The discussion aired as part of Inside Story and was presented by Mohammed Jamjoom, according to Al Jazeera. The guests were Siddharth Varadarajan, founding editor of The Wire; Michael Kugelman, a senior fellow for South Asia at the Atlantic Council; and Zeeshan Salahuddin, advisory director at Tabadlab, a think tank and consultancy focused on geopolitics.
Al Jazeera said the central question was whether water could become another point of confrontation between the two governments. The programme also focused on what steps could prevent the disagreement over the treaty from widening into a deeper crisis.
The episode was published on July 2, 2026, under Al Jazeera’s Inside Story banner. It presented the treaty dispute as part of the broader strain between Islamabad and New Delhi following India’s accusation and Pakistan’s denial.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.