Amidst the growing controversy over the Indus Water Treaty, Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif has once again threatened India with war. Tensions deepened by linking water to national security.
Islamabad/New Delhi: Now a new spark of gunpowder has been ignited in the already extremely tense relations between the two neighboring countries possessing nuclear weapons – India and Pakistan. This time the dispute is not about border or terrorism, but about the water of the rivers which are considered the lifeline of both the countries. Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif on Sunday gave a very surprising and aggressive statement and directly threatened India with ‘war’. Khawaja Asif has clearly said that if India tries to stop or divert the waters of the Indus River system, Islamabad will not shy away from choosing the path of military action and full-scale war.
“We will go to war against India…” Defense Minister’s scary confession
This entire controversy deepened when Defense Minister Khawaja Asif, while talking to Pakistani media channel ARY News, directly linked water security to Pakistan’s sovereignty and national security. He said sharply on camera: “The moment we feel that our national security – and water is part of our national security – is in danger, we will go to war against India. Certainly.” Asif gave a clear indication that Pakistan, which is facing severe water crisis and drought, will not remain silent if India takes a single step forward in stopping or diverting the natural flow of water received under the river-sharing agreement.
That ‘deadline’ video of June 2028… which shook Islamabad
This sharp and aggressive statement of the Pakistani Defense Minister has not come suddenly. Actually, behind this is an alleged video clip of Indian Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil, which has given sleepless nights to the Pakistani rulers. In this video clip, it was indicated from India that the water of Indus River going to Pakistan can be completely stopped by June 2028. As soon as this video surfaced, there was a stir in the political and military circles of Pakistan, because Pakistan’s entire agriculture, irrigation network and wider economy depends on this river system.
Pahalgam attack and India’s ‘big attack’ on the historic treaty of 1960
This great conflict over water between the two countries started after a horrific terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir in April 2025. 26 people were killed in that suicide attack, for which New Delhi directly blamed Pakistan-backed terrorists. Immediately after this, India took a historic and tough decision and completely suspended the ‘Indus Waters Treaty’ which had been going on since 1960. India took a clear stand that unless Islamabad takes credible, concrete and irreversible action against cross-border terrorism, the World Bank-brokered treaty will remain in abeyance. It is noteworthy that under this treaty, Pakistan gets about 80 percent of the water of the river system.
Accusation of diverting Chenab river and Pakistan’s appeal to the United Nations
Pakistan, yearning for every drop of water, has started crying on international forums against this decision of India. Only last week, Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar had demanded immediate intervention of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in this matter. Not only this, earlier this month Pakistan made another serious allegation on India that New Delhi is working on a secret river-linking project to divert the water of ‘Chenab River’ to the other side. Pakistan has called it a flagrant violation of international laws. However, amidst the pressure of climate change and declining water levels, this latest dispute over Indus waters is bringing both the nuclear-armed countries to the brink of a very dangerous and destructive war.