Indus Waters Treaty: Czech and German MEPs back Pakistan's stance at European Parliament meeting in Brussels

Two members of the European Parliament backed Pakistan's position on the Indus Waters Treaty at a session on the future of global governance held at the European Parliament in Brussels, Geo News reported on Thursday.

Who said what

• Rahim Hayat Qureshi, Pakistan's ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg and the European Union, raised Pakistan's concerns over India's actions on the treaty and said respect for international agreements is essential to global stability. He also called for the Kashmir dispute to be settled under UN resolutions and for all states to have a voice in UN reform.
• Andrej Dostal, a Czech MEP, supported Pakistan's position on the treaty.
• Michael von der Schulenburg, a German MEP and former UN official, urged the international community to help ensure the treaty is implemented and complied with.

The session was not a vote and does not commit the European Parliament or the EU to a position, but it is the kind of support in European forums that Islamabad has been seeking since the dispute began.

Where the dispute stands

In April 2025, after an attack in Indian-held Kashmir, India said it was holding the 1960 treaty "in abeyance". Pakistan rejects that, saying the treaty, brokered by the World Bank, cannot be suspended by one side. The treaty gives Pakistan the waters of the western rivers (Indus, Jhelum and Chenab) and India the eastern rivers (Ravi, Beas and Sutlej).

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif told the UN General Assembly last month that diverting the Indus waters would be treated as an act of war (his speech in 6 points).

Why it matters at home

The western rivers feed most of the canal system that irrigates Punjab and Sindh, and the dams on them (Tarbela on the Indus, Mangla on the Jhelum) supply a large share of Pakistan's hydropower. Any disruption in flows at sowing time, especially on the Chenab, which enters Pakistan near Sialkot, would hit wheat and rice farmers first, and cheaper hydropower keeps the national electricity tariff lower. You can see how the tariff hits your own bill with our electricity bill calculator.