ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said on Tuesday that India cannot unilaterally revoke+ the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty and that doing so would be seen as an "act of war".
Sartaj Aziz, foreign affairs adviser to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, told this to the Pakistan senate on Tuesday. He was quoted in Dawn as saying, " The Indus Waters Treaty+ is perhaps the most successful water treaty ever conducted between the two countries. Its provocation can be taken as an act of war or a hostile act against Pakistan."
There's no provision of suspension in the treaty+ while the World Bank is its guarantor, Aziz said, adding that if India annuls it unilaterally, Islamabad could go to the International court of Justice (ICJ).
"The treaty is binding on both the countries and there's no provision of unilateral exit from it. It was not suspended even during wars between the two countries and there's no reason to believe that it would not remain intact in future," he said.
Aziz said Pakistan was also considering to brief the five permanent member-countries of the Security Council and the international community about the dangers posed to the treaty by India+ .
Pakistan's reaction followed PM Modi's comment that "blood and water cannot flow together" during a meeting to discuss the treaty.
The move is being seen in Islamabad as an attempt to cause irreparable economic loss to Pakistan. India has the advantage to increase the use of waters flowing into the Indus, Chenab and Jhelum rivers, experts said.
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