India-Pakistan ceasefire at risk if Indus Water Treaty not resolved: FM Dar

ISLAMABAD: On Tuesday, Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, warned that the ceasefire agreement between Pakistan and India could be jeopardised if the water dispute with India regarding the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty is not resolved.

In an interview with CNN, Ishaq Dar stated that “we had no intention of using nuclear weapons against India,” stating that the retaliatory operations carried out by Islamabad on 7 May were “self-defensive” in nature, which came following cross-border unprovoked strikes by India.

Ishaq Dar described India’s operation against Pakistan as a “war” and “a wishful attempt to impose its hegemony” in the long-disputed Kashmir region, but stated firmly that “the nuclear option was never on the table.”

“I mean, there are certain times where you have to make very difficult decisions,” he stated, “we were very confident that our conventional capacity and capabilities are considerably strong enough that we will beat them both in the air and on the ground.”

Although the ceasefire has held in the meantime, Dar cautioned that there have been no comprehensive negotiations between the two sides. “We still hope sense will prevail,” he stated.

When asked about the motivations behind the ceasefire, Ishaq Dar told CNN, “It‘s in everyone‘s interest to not delay or allow such issues to go beyond a reasonable time. The Indians had seen what happened in the sky – They could see how serious the damage was.

“ In contradiction to earlier statements made by India’s Director General of Military Operations, Dar said there was no direct communication between Indian or Pakistani officials regarding a ceasefire. Dar stated that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio sent a message that India was prepared to stop fighting.

Dar stated that Pakistan was looking for a meaningful way forward in establishing a path for long-term peace and security and aims to provide “dignity for both sides.“ Dar stated that Kashmir is “the root cause of regional instability.“ And he called for a “future self-determination for the region.

“ He reiterated Pakistan‘s condemnation of terrorism “in all its forms and manifestations, and rejected any claim of Pakistani involvement in the Pahalgam attack. Dar acknowledged US support, noting that President Donald Trump supports Pakistan‘s anti–terrorism efforts.

Dar, while alluding to Trump‘s social media post over “finding a solution to the Kashmir conflict,” said, “if they (the US officials) didn’t believe (in our efforts), they would not have cooperated the way (that they did).

“ Dar warned that the ceasefire, already tenuous, could be in jeopardy by the water issue as a result of the bilateral suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty by India in the wake of the latest tensions.

Dar said that Pakistan‘s position is clear, which is to reverse India‘s unilateral suspension of the treaty. If that does not happen, he warned, “it will be regarded as an act of war.“