ISLAMABAD: Chairman of the Water and Power Development Authority, Lt Gen (r) Muhammad Saeed, has warned that India’s decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty poses a serious long-term challenge to Pakistan’s water, food and energy security.
In an article published in a local English newspaper, the WAPDA chief described the treaty as one of the world’s most successful and enduring transboundary water-sharing agreements, saying it has provided the certainty needed for Pakistan to develop the Indus Basin Irrigation System over the past six decades.
He noted that the system regarded as the world’s largest contiguous irrigation network supports nearly 35 million acres of farmland and contributes to more than 90 percent of the country’s food production, while also playing a key role in hydropower generation and economic growth.
According to Saeed, regional stability was undermined when India announced in May 2025 that it was placing the treaty in abeyance. He termed the move unilateral and contrary to international obligations, arguing that it has introduced uncertainty into a river system vital to Pakistan’s national interests.
The WAPDA chairman expressed concern over India’s reported acceleration of upstream infrastructure projects on the western rivers, including plans related to the Ranbir Canal and the Chenab-Beas Link Tunnel. He said the cumulative impact of such projects could affect the quantity, timing and predictability of water flows reaching Pakistan.
He also criticized the suspension of hydrological data sharing, saying the absence of timely information during the 2025 flood season hampered Pakistan’s flood forecasting and disaster preparedness efforts, increasing risks to communities and infrastructure.
Highlighting Pakistan’s dependence as a lower riparian state, Saeed said uninterrupted and predictable river flows are essential for agriculture, industry, reservoirs and overall economic stability. Any disruption, he warned, could have far-reaching consequences for national security and development.
The WAPDA chief identified the Chenab River as the most critical of the western rivers, noting that its average annual flow of around 25 million acre-feet irrigates nearly 10 million acres of highly productive farmland through a network of barrages and canals.
He stressed that Pakistan’s concerns go beyond individual dams or annual water allocations, focusing instead on the growing capacity of multiple upstream projects to regulate river flows. Such developments, he said, could fundamentally affect the operation of Pakistan’s interconnected irrigation system.
Saeed concluded that the geographical reality of the Chenab whose catchment largely lies within India before entering Pakistan at Marala leaves Pakistan with limited alternatives to offset prolonged upstream regulation, making reliable river flows indispensable for the stability of the country’s irrigation network.
