ISLAMABAD: Speakers at a consultation on Pakistan`s water challenges urged the government to protect the Indus Waters Treaty which they said India is violating.

`Pakistan has not made a strong statement. India must refrain from engaging in war for water. The Indus Waters Treaty is more than an agreement on water, it ensures peace. Violation of the [treaty] will create chaos and instability in the region,` said defence analyst Lt Gen Talat Masood.

Speaking at the National Consultation on Pakistan`s Water Challenge on Wednesday, Lt Gen Masood said India has been using water as aweapon to isolate and harm Pakistan.

`[Violating] the Indus Waters Treaty will have serious consequences. All [issues between] India and Pakistan should be solved on the table. India`s attempts to malign Pakistan in the world have failed and it has now resoned to another tactic, that of threatening to cut of Pakistan`s water,` he said.

Dialogue is the only way to solve the water issue between India and Pakistan, said State Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Marriyum Aurangzeb.

`A breach of the treaty will have severe consequences for both India and Pakistan.

The Indus Waters Treaty pertains to the common development of the Indus River basin and protects both the upper and lower riparian. Dialogue, and not hostility, is the solution,` the minister said.

She added that Pakistan is reviewing the treaty to identify the loopholes which threaten the country`s water sustainability.

The minister added that the Pakistan Water Policy is in the final stages and has been sent to the Council of Common Interest for final approval.