This is one of the worst floods to hit Pakistan in decades. Over a million people have been forced to leave as a result of the heavy rainfall that has swamped the villages and crops across the state. As the crisis deepened, Khwaja Muhammad Asif, the defence minister, sparked controversy by claiming that ‘dead individuals and livestock’ were among the floodwaters entering from India.
His comments rekindled discussions about water sharing and cross-border trust between India – Pakistan, adding a political twist to an already catastrophic environmental calamity.
Khawaja Asif’s Bizarre Claim
Asif made the statement while visiting flood-hit areas in Sialkot this week. According to local media, he told reporters that people had seen corpses being “swept across the border.”
He also pointed out that Sialkot lies downstream of rivers and streams flowing from Jammu. His comments have drawn sharp reactions online, with many questioning the credibility of such claims during a humanitarian emergency.
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India Warned Pakistan of Rising Waters
Earlier this week, India issued a flood alert to Pakistan. It was the first formal communication between the two countries in months. Indian officials warned that rivers and streams were overflowing after heavy rainfall.
India opened all dam gates in its part of Kashmir to control rising water levels. Pakistan later confirmed receiving the alert and issued flood warnings for three rivers that flow into its territory.
Human Tragedy on Both Sides
More than 1,400 villages in Pakistan are underwater. Vital grain crops have been destroyed, and thousands of families have lost their homes. In India, too, overflowing rivers have washed away roads and bridges.
Officials on both sides say that incessant rains are the real cause of the disaster. Yet, political statements like Asif’s have shifted focus from relief work to blame-trading.
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Water Treaty Adds to Tensions
Pakistani officials say the floods worsened because India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty earlier this year after the Pahalgam terror attack. They also pointed to the collapse of the Madhopur barrage gates. Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said, “We could have managed better if we had better information. If the Indus Waters Treaty was in operation, we could have mitigated the impact.”
India rejected the charge. Officials said they are trying to control the flow of the Ravi River through the Ranjit Sagar Dam and are sharing updates regularly. A government source told Reuters, “India is doing whatever can be done and all the information is being passed on…Incessant rain is causing this flood.”
The Bigger Picture
The floods have once again shown how natural disasters in South Asia quickly turn political. Instead of working together on relief and disaster management, both countries often slip into blame and mistrust.
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As millions suffer in submerged villages, Khawaja Asif’s claim about dead bodies in floodwaters highlights how fragile India-Pakistan ties remain—even in the face of tragedy.
