ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif warned Thursday that if India’s actions on water threaten Pakistan’s national security, Islamabad will have no choice but to move toward war.
Speaking on a private news channel program, Asif said India often speaks of “open war” and Pakistan will respond in kind if provoked. “Our government is watching the water issue closely to see where violations are occurring,” he said. As former minister for water and power, he noted Pakistan reviewed Indian projects 115 times in India just 10 years ago.
The minister expressed confidence that India cannot stop Pakistan’s water. Recalling last year’s floods, he said “living people, wild animals and houses flowed into Pakistan from India.” He questioned claims that New Delhi could simply cut off flows: “If they say they’ll stop the water, will they dump it in the desert instead?”
Asif also referenced last year’s conflict, “Marka-e-Haq,” and said India suffered defeat and global embarrassment. Meanwhile, he claimed Pakistan’s stature has grown over the past year, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Gen. Asim Munir gaining international recognition. He pointed to a memorandum signed in Islamabad Thursday, saying “the honor Allah is giving Pakistan is also a reason for India’s frustration.”
“We don’t need to start a war,” Asif added. “But if India takes any step, we will definitely fight it.” He said Pakistan is monitoring every project India has launched on shared rivers. “Human beings were created from water. The whole world runs on it. How can India stop it?” he asked, reiterating that any threat to national security over water would push Pakistan toward war.
The remarks come amid renewed tensions over the Indus Waters Treaty, with both sides accusing the other of violating terms on river projects.
