- Pakistan seeks Canada's help to restore Indus Water Treaty.
- India links treaty restoration to end of cross-border terrorism.
- IWT renegotiation contingent on Pakistan's actions against terror.
Islamabad/New Delhi: Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar on Monday sought help from Canada for the restoration of the Indus Water Treaty agreement. Dar, who is also Pakistan's foreign minister, said this while addressing a joint press briefing here with Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand, who is in Pakistan on a two-day visit. In response, Indian officials said the treaty remains suspended until Islamabad stops funding terrorism against New Delhi.
The Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) of 1960 is a World Bank-brokered agreement between India and Pakistan that governs the sharing of the waters of the six rivers of the Indus basin, allocating the eastern rivers to India and the western rivers largely to Pakistan.
India placed the treaty in abeyance in April 2025, a day after the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people, saying it would remain suspended until Pakistan takes credible action against cross-border terrorism.
Dar urges Canada to help Pakistan in restoring IWT
Dar, on Monday, claimed that India has "added a new dynamic into an already volatile security situation" by announcing in April 2025 to hold the IWT in abeyance. "We seek the support of our friendly countries, including Canada, towards India's immediate restoration of the IWT, ending the weaponisation of water and upholding international law and treaty obligations as per international law and practices," Dar said.
Joint Press Stakeout:Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister H.E. Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar @MIshaqDar50 and Foreign Minister of Canada H.E. Anita Anand @AnitaAnandMP pic.twitter.com/6wdCUOkWeY
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) July 20, 2026
IWT's future hinges on Pak ending terrorism against India: Govt
IWT in its present form will not function again, and Pakistan has shown no signs of ending cross-border terrorism against India -- a prerequisite for resuming cooperation under the over 65-year-old pact, news agency PTI reported quoting government sources on Monday.
ALSO READ: Pakistan's Indus Waters Gamble Backfires: Why Islamabad Is Now Paying India’s Share Too | Explained
For any future reactivation of the river water-sharing provisions, the treaty would need to be renegotiated in a modified format -- a step that remains contingent on Islamabad permanently halting its support for terrorism directed against India, they said.
According to the PTI sources, Pakistan is attempting to push a false narrative claiming that India's decision to keep the treaty in abeyance is causing water scarcity. In reality, a significant volume of the water Pakistan receives is lost due to its own lack of storage infrastructure, rampant leakages and ongoing water-sharing disputes among its provinces.
Although India is not actively looking to withdraw from the IWT at this stage, the sources stressed that as a sovereign state, it always reserves the right to terminate any treaty that is demonstrably against its interests. "It (exiting the IWT) depends on the actions that Pakistan takes going forward," according to a PTI source.
(With inputs from PTI)