Asif has repeatedly descended into the same theatrical buffoonery, each time seeming to forget the bruising humiliation his country suffered during Operation Sindoor
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has issued a stark warning that his country could resort to military action against India if its water security is deemed under serious threat. His remarks come amid mounting concerns over the future of the Indus Waters Treaty and the flow of rivers that sustain Pakistan’s agricultural heartlands.
Speaking in an interview with ARY News, Asif declared that “the moment we feel that our national security — and water is part of our national security — is being threatened, we will go to war against India. Definitely.” He emphasised that Pakistan was closely monitoring alleged violations and any attempts to alter the situation on the ground.
He added that war would be considered if material evidence emerged that India was moving at an “alarming speed” towards disrupting water supplies. His comments followed a clip of India’s Water Minister CR Patil claiming that the flow of Indus water to Pakistan could be stopped completely by June 2028.
The program also cited reports of a tender for a tunnel project linked to diverting Chenab water towards the Beas basin, as well as sediment-removal work at the Salal power station. These claims, however, were not independently verified during the broadcast.
Asif noted that Pakistan had historically monitored Indian projects under the treaty through physical inspections. He claimed that Pakistani teams had conducted around 115 inspections to examine the height, storage capacity and technical aspects of Indian water infrastructure. Yet he admitted he did not have the latest information on developments over the past year.
He expressed scepticism over India’s ability to fully contain the Chenab, pointing to past floods in which water, debris, animals and even people were swept across the border. The host countered that India did not need to stop the water entirely to cause damage, suggesting that delayed releases could disrupt crop cycles and severely impact Pakistan’s agriculture.
India’s response to these allegations and Asif’s remarks was not included in the broadcast, leaving the Pakistani narrative unchallenged in that forum.
The warning comes against the backdrop of a crippling water shortage affecting nearly one-third of Pakistan’s population, particularly in Sindh and Balochistan. With downstream flows plummeting, local leaders have warned of an impending “economic massacre” as disputes intensify across provincial borders.
The crisis is starkly visible at the Sukkur Barrage, a vital lifeline for millions of acres of farmland. Data from Sindh’s irrigation department shows the North West Canal facing a 64.1% deficit, while the Rice Canal and Dadu Canal report shortfalls of 38% and 82% respectively.
Internal tensions are compounding the crisis. Sindh officials accuse upstream Punjab of illegally drawing 53,394 cusecs of water against its sanctioned allocation of 44,000 cusecs — an excess of more than 21%. Similarly, the Taunsa Barrage is reportedly withdrawing 25,694 cusecs against its 24,000 cusecs limit.
These figures highlight the scale of Pakistan’s internal water disputes, which are now colliding with the external confrontation with India. The combination of dwindling flows, provincial rivalries, and threats of war underscores the gravity of the situation.
The Indus basin, long regarded as a lifeline for both nations, is increasingly becoming a theatre of strategic rivalry. Pakistan’s defence minister has now explicitly tied water security to national security, raising the spectre of conflict in South Asia over the most basic of resources.
Agencies
