India's suspension of IWT threatens regional peace: Ahsan Iqbal

ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal has said that India’s suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty poses a serious threat to regional peace and Pakistan’s water rights.

The first meeting of the Task Force on National Water Security was held under the chairmanship of Ahsan Iqbal, with Federal Minister for Water Resources Mian Muhammad Moeen Wattoo also in attendance. During the meeting, the planning minister directed the establishment of a special working group under the Ministry of Water Resources and instructed that practical recommendations be presented to the Planning Commission within 15 days.

During a briefing, it was revealed that between 2011 and 2020, the rate of glacier melting in the Hindu Kush–Himalayan region increased by 65 percent. The Siachen Glacier is melting at a rate of 50 to 60 meters annually, while glacier melt in the Himalayan range has reached up to 30 meters per year.

The federal minister instructed that a technical workshop be convened immediately to translate water-related policies into actionable plans. He noted that climate change has dangerously accelerated glacier melting, and since 1960, around 23 percent of glacier ice has already been lost.

Ahsan Iqbal warned that due to climate change, Pakistan could face a severe and long-term water crisis. Increasing uncertainty in river flows, he said, is a major threat to the country, while water conservation remains the guarantor of food security and economic stability.

Emphasizing full coordination between the federation and provinces on the National Water Policy, he said that water security is not just a sectoral issue but the foundation of national survival and sovereignty. He added that the task force would play a key role in proposing effective solutions to Pakistan’s water challenges.

The federal minister noted that 80 percent of Pakistan’s water comes from rivers, and rapid population growth has intensified water scarcity. In this context, he said, the financial model for water management is being updated.

He further stressed that the construction of new dams is the need of the hour, saying that Diamer-Bhasha and Mohmand dams will prove to be milestones in increasing water storage capacity. He directed the chairman of WAPDA, IRSA, the National Flood Commission and all provinces to provide expert input to the working group and to set a clear timeline to address the water crisis.