ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will destroy any structure built by India to divert its share of water under the Indus Waters Treaty, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said on Friday, amid heightened tensions between the two countries over an attack in the Kashmir region.
India suspended on April 23 the World Bank-mediated Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 that ensures water for 80 percent of Pakistani farms, saying it would last until “Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism.”
The development came a day after an attack killed 26 tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir’s Pahalgam tourist town. India said two of the three militants who attacked tourists were from Pakistan. Islamabad denied the allegation and said any attempt to stop or divert the flow of Pakistan’s water will be considered an “act of war.”
Speaking to a private news channel on Friday night, Asif said diverting Pakistan’s water was also a “face of aggression” against the country and entire nations could die of thirst and hunger because of it.
“That will be aggression against Pakistan,” he said. “So, even if they made an architectural attempt of this kind, then Pakistan will destroy that structure.”
Pakistan has rights to the western rivers — Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab — for irrigation, drinking, and non-consumptive uses like hydropower, according to the Indus Waters Treaty. India controls the eastern rivers — Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej — for unrestricted use but must not significantly alter their flow. India can use the western rivers for limited purposes such as power generation and irrigation, without storing or diverting large volumes.
Asif’s comments came hours after Pakistan’s top generals blamed the April 22 attack on New Delhi’s “governance failures” and its strategy of using such incidents for political gains, warning Pakistani security forces were ready to respond to any attack on the country’s sovereignty.
Pakistan Army’s top brass gathered at the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi on Friday to review the geo-strategic environment, with a particular focus on the Pakistan-India standoff and the broader regional security situation, the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said.
“The Forum noted, with serious concern, India’s consistent pattern of exploitation of crises to achieve political and military objectives. They have been following a predictable template — whereby internal governance failures are externalized,” the ISPR said.
“These incidents have often coincided with unilateral moves by India to alter the status quo, as seen in 2019 when India similarly exploited the Pulwama incident to unilaterally alter the status quo of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir, through revocation of Article 370,” it added.
The 2019 Pulwama attack killed 40 Indian paramilitary personnel and was also blamed on Pakistan before New Delhi revoked the region’s special constitutional status to integrate it in the Indian union, a move repeatedly condemned by Islamabad.
Tensions have been high in the South Asian region since last week’s attack in Kashmir, a situation exacerbated by retaliatory actions between the two nuclear-armed rivals, including the expulsion of diplomats and citizens, border closures and airspace shutdowns.
Pakistan and India have a history of bitter relations. They have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir, a region split between them, since gaining independence from the former British colonial rule in 1947.
On Friday, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif with envoys from Gulf allies and briefed them on Islamabad’s stance regarding the April 22 attack in Indian-administered Kashmir, seeking to defuse tensions.
The international community has encouraged both sides to exercise restraint and resolve the crisis through dialogue.

KARACHI: China’s BYD, the world’s largest New Energy Vehicle (NEV) manufacturer and Pakistan’s Mega Motor Company (MMC) have partnered with Hub Power Company (HUBCO) to launch the country’s largest NEV charging network, the company said on Friday.
NEVs refer to alternative-fuel vehicles that rely on electric, hybrid, hydrogen or other non-traditional power sources instead of conventional gasoline or diesel engines
BYD, a global leader in battery-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, has expanded aggressively in Asia, Europe and Latin America. Mega Motor, a subsidiary of Pakistan’s HUBCO, is spearheading the local manufacturing, distribution and sales of BYD-branded vehicles.
“This nation-wide rollout of infrastructure marks one of the most significant developments in the country’s shift toward electric mobility by addressing a critical gap in Pakistan’s EV ecosystem and establishing the most extensive NEV charging network,” BYD said in a statement.
“As part of this strategic and groundbreaking roadmap, HGL will install approximately 128 DC fast chargers across the country over the next three years, with 50 installations planned by December 2025.”
It added that the charging points would be placed every 150-200 kilometers of highways and motorways along with malls, hotels and hospitals.
“Range anxiety remains one of the most significant barriers to NEV adoption across Pakistan,” BYD Pakistan Vice President Sales and Strategy Danish Khaliq said.
“Through this groundbreaking partnership with HUBCO Green, we are not just addressing a logistical issue but shaping the entire mobility landscape of the country.”
BYD and MMC partnered last year to introduce electric vehicles (EVs) in Pakistan, aiming to accelerate the country’s transition toward sustainable mobility.
The government approved the National Electric Vehicles Policy in 2019, setting a target of 30 percent EVs by 2030. In March, Pakistan inaugurated the country’s fastest EV charging station in Islamabad.
Earlier this year, Pakistan announced a 45 percent reduction in power tariffs for electric vehicle charging stations. The government is also planning financing schemes for e-bikes and the conversion of two and three-wheeled petrol vehicles.
According to a report submitted by the power ministry, there are currently more than 30 million two- and three-wheeled vehicles in Pakistan, which consume more than $5 billion worth of petroleum annually.
In January, China’s ADM Group revealed plans to invest $250 million in setting up an electric vehicle manufacturing plant in Pakistan.