Pakistan's population has an inalienable right to water from the Indus, says info minister

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar declared on Tuesday that Pakistan's 240 million citizens possess an "inalienable right" to the water resources of the Indus River System. He stressed that the Indus is the nation's lifeline, a sentiment he conveyed with deep sincerity.

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When we say that Indus is our lifeline and our people, the 240m people of Pakistan, have an inalienable right to the water of Indus, we mean it, from the core of our heart.

Tarar articulated these views during a seminar in Islamabad focused on the legal and constitutional framework of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT). He characterized the treaty, a long-standing point of contention between India and Pakistan, as an "instrument of peace and regional stability."

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Today, we are not merely discussing the treaty. We are discussing the lifeline of nearly 240 million people of Pakistan.

Highlighting the profound connection between Pakistan's identity and the Indus River, Tarar stated that discussing the treaty means discussing the lifeline of nearly 240 million people. He asserted that Pakistanis identify themselves as people of the Indus Valley Civilization, whose existence is intrinsically linked to the mighty Indus River and its tributaries.

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Our identification is that we are people based on the banks and tributaries of the mighty Indus River.

Water, he emphasized, is not merely a resource for Pakistan but a matter of life itself, sustaining one of the world's oldest civilizations for millennia. From the northern peaks of Gilgit-Baltistan to the southern plains of Punjab and Sindh, the Indus waters have historically connected the people across diverse geographies and time. The minister concluded by noting the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty's unique place in international relations, its resilience through wars and tensions, and its demonstration that cooperation and adherence to international commitments are the path to peace.

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Its resilience, for more than six decades, demonstrates an enduring truth that cooperation, dialogue and adherence to international commitments remain the only sustainable path to peace.