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Pakistan's Defense Minister Khawaja Asif has revived the controversy by threatening military action against India for the Indus Waters Treaty. In a recent interview, Asif said that water is an issue of national security for Pakistan and said that “the time we will come to know that our national security is being challenged, we will go to war against India."

The comments follow India's decision to suspend the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty that barred Pakistan from diverting water from the Kashmir region in the wake of the terror attack in the Pakistani town of Pahalgam, which killed 26 people, nearly a year ago. In New Delhi, they have sprung into action and expedited the construction of hydroelectric projects, at the same time keeping the treaty dormant until Islamabad can deliver on its promise of an end to cross-border terrorism.

The breakdown of the water flows in the western rivers is a serious problem for Pakistan because it is considered a threat to the life of Pakistan's agriculture and economy. As both countries go back and forth with fiery rhetoric, both invoking the UN, the scenario serves as a reminder of the fragile nexus between water, security, and diplomacy between the two nuclear neighbors. Intensifying conflicts over water use are again likely to further unsettle the region, but the prospect of a full-scale war is unlikely. Diplomatic maneuvering could be more intense in the coming weeks as tensions simmer.