Khawaja Asif: Pakistan is staring down a deepening water crisis as the fallout from India’s suspension of the landmark Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) continues to bite. With nearly one-third of the country’s population now affected, the crisis has driven Islamabad’s leadership to openly rattle the sabre — with Defence Minister Khawaja Asif threatening outright military conflict with India.
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“We Will Go To War Against India. Definitely”
Speaking to ARY News on Saturday, Asif directly linked water access to Pakistan’s national security and issued a stark warning. “The moment we feel that our national security, and water is part of our national security, is being threatened, we will go to war against India. Definitely,” he declared.
A Crisis Rooted In Pahalgam
The current standoff traces back to the deadly Pahalgam assault in April 2025, following which India suspended the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, declaring the pact frozen until Pakistan completely halts its support for cross-border terrorism. The attack claimed 26 lives and fundamentally altered the diplomatic calculus between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
Shortage Numbers Paint A Grim Picture
The ground reality in Pakistan is alarming. The country is recording a 13.3% year-on-year shortfall from the Indus River System, with an early Kharif season deficit of nearly 21%. Sindh’s irrigation data reveals a crumbling infrastructure — the North West Canal faces a 64.1% deficit, while the Rice and Dadu Canals report shortages of 38% and 82% respectively. Local leaders in the region have warned of an “economic massacre.”
India’s 2028 Deadline Escalates Alarm
A video clip of India’s Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil circulated recently in which he suggested India could completely halt the flow of Indus waters to Pakistan by June 2028 — a potential deadline that has intensified concern in Islamabad and further strained the already volatile relationship.
