ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan on Monday raised strong objections after India conveyed a flood warning through diplomatic channels rather than under the framework of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), which governs such exchanges.
According to officials in Islamabad, the Indian High Commission delivered a letter on Sunday morning warning of a high flood in the Tawi River near Jammu at 10 a.m. on August 24. This was the first such communication since New Delhi suspended the treaty earlier this year in the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack.
“The High Commission of India to Pakistan presents its compliments to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs… and has the honor to convey the following flood data,” the letter stated, detailing the river site, timing, and the expected flood level.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office confirmed the message but criticized India’s method of communication. “On 24 August 2025, India communicated flood warnings through diplomatic channels, rather than through the Indus Waters Commission as required under the Indus Waters Treaty,” the FO said in a statement. “India is obligated to fully comply with all provisions of the Treaty.”
Officials in Islamabad suggested that New Delhi’s decision to bypass the commission appeared to be a calculated move to establish a “new normal” in bilateral dealings. “India deliberately omitted reference to the IWT in its communication, signaling it wants to sidestep treaty provisions,” one senior diplomat told The Express Tribune.
Indian officials, however, defended the move. Speaking to Reuters, an unnamed government representative claimed the data was shared on “humanitarian grounds” and not as part of treaty obligations. The Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi declined further comment.
Following the alert, Punjab’s Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) issued warnings for Gujarat and Sialkot, cautioning that rising waters from the Tawi could swell the Chenab River. District administrations were instructed to activate flood monitoring systems and prepare emergency responses.
The controversy has revived longstanding tensions over the 1960 treaty, signed with World Bank mediation. The accord grants Pakistan rights over the western rivers Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab while allowing India limited use for irrigation and hydropower, provided it does not alter their natural flow.
India declared the treaty “in abeyance” in April, blaming Pakistan after the Pahalgam attack in Indian-occupied Kashmir. The move triggered the worst military escalation between the two nuclear-armed states in decades.
Yet, international arbitration has repeatedly upheld Pakistan’s water rights. The Permanent Court of Arbitration recently ruled that India cannot unilaterally walk away from the treaty or curtail Pakistan’s share. Islamabad has since warned that any attempt to deny its rightful water allocation would be treated as an act of aggression.
