Overview

• India continues to withhold treaty data and accelerate dam, canal and desilting projects on the western rivers after suspending the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty in April.
• On August 8, a Court of Arbitration at The Hague ruled that the treaty cannot be unilaterally abrogated, reinforcing Pakistan’s legal position without compelling an immediate restoration of obligations.
• In Tampa, Pakistan Army chief Asim Munir issued nuclear-tinged threats, vowing to destroy any Indian dam with missiles and “take half the world down” if Pakistan faces an existential threat.
• Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari warned on August 11–12 that any diversion or blockage of Indus flows would trigger military retaliation and bar India from seizing a drop of Pakistan’s water.
• India’s Ministry of External Affairs denounced the threats as irresponsible nuclear blackmail, and BJP figures such as Mithun Chakraborty have affirmed New Delhi’s resolve to safeguard its security and press ahead with its water infrastructure strategy.