Toronto: Pakistan has sought Canada’s support for the restoration of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar raising the issue during talks with Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand, who is on a two-day visit to Pakistan.
Addressing a joint press briefing on Monday, Dar said Pakistan was seeking the backing of friendly countries, including Canada, for the immediate restoration of the treaty and urged India to honour its international commitments.
The Indus Waters Treaty, signed in 1960 with the World Bank as the mediator, governs the sharing of the waters of the six rivers of the Indus basin between India and Pakistan. Under the agreement, the eastern rivers were allocated to India, while Pakistan received rights over the western rivers, subject to the treaty’s provisions.
Dar alleged that India’s decision to suspend the treaty in April 2025, following the Pahalgam terror attack, had further heightened regional tensions. He called for an end to what he described as the “weaponisation of water” and urged compliance with international law and treaty obligations.
India announced the suspension of the treaty after the Pahalgam attack, in which 26 people were killed, stating that the agreement would remain suspended until Pakistan took credible and irreversible action against cross-border terrorism.
