Pakistan, July 1 -- Federal Minister for Climate Change Musadik Malik has described the dispute over the Indus Waters Treaty as a global test of water justice, urging the international community to strengthen legal protections for downstream countries.

Speaking at an international seminar in Islamabad, Malik said the issue extends beyond Pakistan and has implications for billions of people who rely on transboundary rivers worldwide. He argued that the central challenge is not merely water scarcity or flooding, but control over water resources by upstream states.

The minister illustrated his remarks by recounting the story of a Pakistani farmer who abandoned agriculture after repeated floods destroyed his family's livelihood. He also ref...