On July 17, 2025, a rare and unified condemnation echoed through the UK Parliament concerning India’s unilateral suspension of the Indus Water Treaty (IWT). This 1960 agreement, globally recognized as a model for cooperative water sharing despite longstanding animosity between India and Pakistan, has been severely undermined. India’s action constitutes a serious breach of international law, jeopardizes regional peace, and threatens the water security of millions of Pakistanis who rely on the Indus River basin.
Legal Violations and Geopolitical Repercussions
India’s decision followed the tragic Pahalgam attack, which it attributed to Pakistan without credible evidence. Exploiting this incident, India announced the suspension of the IWT, violating treaty clauses that explicitly prevent withdrawal or suspension due to political or security concerns. Lord Mohammad described this as a “flagrant violation of international law,” warning that the precedent endangers all international water agreements, especially since China is already altering upstream flows in the Tibetan Plateau that affect both India and Pakistan. This amplifies fears of a domino effect in regions reliant on fragile water-sharing treaties, from Central Asia to Africa and the Middle East.
Kashmir Conflict and the Weaponization of Water
Beyond the legal aspects, the debate strongly connected the Indus dispute to the broader and deeply contentious Kashmir conflict. Lord Hussain emphasized that Kashmir’s unresolved status and systemic human rights abuses, including mass killings, torture, illegal detentions, and over 3,000 documented mass graves by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, are inseparable from water tensions. India’s militarization of Kashmir with nearly 900,000 troops under draconian laws exacerbates instability, making water resource manipulation part of a larger crisis of sovereignty and survival. He also noted that the UN Commission on Human Rights requested free access to Jammu and Kashmir in 2018 and 2019 to investigate abuses, but India refused and unilaterally abrogated Articles 370 and 35A; a 2019 Genocide Watch report warned Kashmir was on the brink of genocide.
UK’s Role and the Call for International Mediation
Baroness Gohir condemned India’s action as “destabilizing and unethical,” highlighting South Asia’s acute vulnerability to climate change and water stress. She also emphasized the point that weaponizing water is normalized, and the most disturbing example is Israel systematically cutting the water supply in Gaza. Nearly 240 million Pakistanis depend on the Indus system for drinking water, irrigation, and hydroelectric power, with approximately 70% of Pakistani agriculture reliant on these rivers. Weaponizing water access contradicts international human rights norms and threatens millions of livelihoods and food security.
Lord Purvis stressed the treaty’s historical resilience through three wars (1965, 1971, and 1999), showing water sharing as a rare bastion of peace. Current developments risk escalating violence, including drone warfare and attacks near nuclear facilities, during the May 2025 clashes. Purvis urged the UK government to back mediation efforts and preserve the IWT’s “architecture of bilateral trust.” The treaty’s breakdown alarms global actors overseeing other contested basins, fearing ecological and geopolitical chaos.
Pakistan aligns with global legal and ethical norms by opposing unilateral treaty suspension or hydrological coercion. Its openness to dialogue and treaty modernization, addressing new challenges such as glacial melt and upstream diversions, demonstrates a constructive, peace-oriented posture. Meanwhile, India’s actions reflect a broader majoritarian foreign policy that disregards treaty sanctity and human rights.
The UK Parliament reiterated Britain’s residual responsibility as a key historical actor in Partition, with unique leverage to foster dialogue and reinforce treaty compliance. The UK Foreign Office’s active role is crucial for defusing tensions and preventing escalation between these two nuclear-armed neighbors.
Conclusion
In conclusion, India’s unilateral suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty jeopardizes regional stability, breaches international law, and risks humanitarian and ecological disaster for Pakistan’s millions downstream. Pakistan’s principled defense of treaty obligations and constructive approach to mediation contrasts sharply with India’s confrontational tactics, which weaponize vital water resources amid the Kashmir crisis. The UK Parliament’s robust critique underscores urgent international mediation and renewed dedication to legal norms, peace, and ecological sustainability in this critical transboundary river basin.
Also Read: India’s Indus Waters Treaty Threat: Dangerous Blow to Stability & Credibility
