In light of India's decision to hold the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in abeyance, Pakistan has appealed to India to reconsider its stance, citing the potential for a crisis and the dependence of millions on the water regulated by the 1960 treaty. The appeal was conveyed in a letter from the secretary of Pakistan’s Ministry of Water Resources, Syed Ali Murtaza, to India’s Jal Shakti ministry secretary, Debashree Mukherjee.

The appeal from Pakistan comes in the wake of heightened tensions and a firm response from India following a terrorist attack in Pahalgam that resulted in the deaths of 26 civilians. India's decision to put the treaty on hold was announced after the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) reviewed Islamabad’s continued support for terrorism.

Sources suggest that the letter from Pakistan, delivered during Operation Sindoor, was unlikely to alter India's decision, which was taken on April 23 as a response to the killings in Pahalgam. India has firmly rejected the assertion that suspending the treaty is illegal.

India's position is that the treaty was negotiated in a spirit of goodwill and good neighborliness, but Pakistan's alleged support for cross-border terrorism has undermined the very premise of the agreement. An MEA spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, stated that Pakistan has disregarded the principles of goodwill and friendship outlined in the treaty's preamble by promoting cross-border terrorism for decades.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also asserted that "blood and water cannot flow together," emphasizing that Pakistan must cease supporting terrorism against India if it wants the water. India has communicated that the only acceptable topics for dialogue with Pakistan are terrorism and the return of Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK).

The Indus Waters Treaty, brokered by the World Bank in 1960, allocated control of the three eastern rivers to India and the three western rivers to Pakistan, ensuring cooperation even during periods of increased tension. This marks the first instance of India fully suspending the treaty. Pakistan's concerns stem from the potential for acute drought-like conditions if India ceases to regulate the Indus river waters.

Some analysts believe India's decision to suspend the treaty could be a "Brahmastra," causing "terrible" pain for Pakistan. However, India has made it clear that any resumption of dialogue and normal relations hinges on Pakistan taking verifiable and irreversible action against India-centric terror groups.