'Pakistan holds strong legal position,' Indus Water Commission warns India of consequences

Pakistan's Indus Water Commission has affirmed its strong legal position on the Indus Waters Treaty, warning India that any move to suspend the agreement could trigger serious consequences, as per sources.

On April 24, in response to a deadly Pahalgam attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, India announced the suspension of the IWT, linking the attack to Pakistan.

Addressing a press conference, Secretary for External Affairs Vikram Misri stated: "The Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 will be held in abeyance with immediate effect until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism." 

Read: Pakistan will respond with full force if water is blocked: PM Shehbaz warns India

Following the statement, the Indus Water Commission has initiated a review of the suspension of the decades-old treaty, supervised by the World Bank.

According to Geo News, sources said Pakistan has decided to form a think tank comprising representatives from the Ministry of Water Resources, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Indus Commission experts. 

The think tank aims to advise the cabinet after analysing the situation on an emergency basis, enabling authorities to decide on a strategy.

Read: Pakistan seeks international investigation into Pahalgam attack

The Pakistani news outlet stated that sources in the Indus Water Commission reported that "Pakistan's legal and constitutional position is stronger than India's. If India takes any unilateral and wrong step by deviating from the Indus Waters Treaty, it would have consequences." 

Meanwhile, Pakistan intends to approach the World Bank, considering multiple diplomatic paths, including contacting the United Nations, based on legal advisors' reports.

Earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif warned India that water is the lifeline of 240 million Pakistanis and if Pakistan-owned water is stopped or its flow diverted, it will be considered an "act of war".