Islamabad: The future of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) hinges on Islamabad’s readiness to build genuine trust, abandon terrorism as an instrument of state policy, and pursue constructive engagements with India, a report has stated.
India placed the IWT in abeyance following the heinous Pahalgam terror attack last year by Pakistan-backed terrorists that killed 26 innocent civilians.
According to a report in The Global Kashmir, durable agreements endure not merely because they are legally binding but because both sides remain committed to maintaining peaceful relations.
It stated that despite repeated provocations from the Pakistani side, India has honoured the IWT for over six decades, while Pakistan has frequently responded with hostility rather than reciprocal goodwill.
“For more than six decades, the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), signed in 1960 between India and Pakistan with the World Bank as a facilitator, has been cited as one of the world’s most durable water-sharing agreements. Despite repeated wars, cross-border terrorism, and prolonged diplomatic hostility initiated by Pakistan, India continued to honour the treaty in both letter and spirit,” the report detailed.
“However, changing security realities and Pakistan’s persistent sponsorship of cross-border terrorism have fundamentally altered the strategic context in which the treaty operates. Increasingly, questions are being raised over whether India should continue extending extraordinary concessions to a neighbour that has consistently undermined regional peace and stability,” it added.
According to the report, the IWT granted significant concessions to Pakistan. Although the Indus river system originates largely in territories under India’s control, the agreement allocated Pakistan rights over the three western rivers—the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab—which together comprise nearly 80 per cent of the Indus basin’s total water.
“India retained unrestricted rights only over the eastern rivers — Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej — while accepting significant restrictions on the utilisation of the western rivers. Many strategic experts have argued that India made substantial compromises in the interest of regional stability and humanitarian considerations,” it noted.
Highlighting Pakistan’s failure to reciprocate India’s spirit of cooperation, the report said that instead of working towards lasting peace, successive Pakistani governments and sections of its security establishment continued to support terror groups responsible for numerous terrorist attacks in India.
“From the 2001 Parliament attack and the 2008 Mumbai attacks to Uri in 2016 and Pulwama in 2019, India has repeatedly faced cross-border terrorism linked to Pakistan-based organisations. These actions have severely eroded trust and naturally prompted India to reassess the broader framework of bilateral engagement,” it mentioned.
The report noted that Pakistan has long sought to internationalise every dispute over Indian hydroelectric projects, even when India adhered to the provisions of the IWT.
“Projects such as Kishanganga and Ratle have been subjected to prolonged objections despite India maintaining that they are run-of-the-river hydroelectric schemes permitted under the treaty. Independent experts have often observed that Pakistan has increasingly used legal and procedural mechanisms to delay India’s legitimate infrastructure development instead of engaging constructively through technical dialogue,” it stated.
(IANS)
