Islamabad : After India’s unilateral action of suspending of The Indus Water Treaty , a framework that was agreed by the parties under the World Bank’s supervision in Karachi back in April 1960, gives no right to any party –Pakistan and India — to suspend it unilaterally.
NEWSMAN approached to Mr Zafar Mahmood , a former secretary Water and Power and ex- WAPDA chief for his opinion on India’s decision of suspending The Indus Water Treaty . He recalled that there is no provision as such in the treaty to suspend it in any circumstances . He added that India’s decision to suspend The Indus Water Treaty is without any logic and probably in total haste for consumption of Indian public. He said “I do not think India’s decision to suspend the Indus Water Treaty is correct”.
India is deliberately harming Pakistan by disrupting water availability for it for years and its decision of suspending the Indus Water Treaty in the wake of Pahalgam terror attack is a part of its water warfare policy against Pakistan Construction of Kishanganga hydropower project and other disputed dams on the rivers governed by The Indus Water Treaty were also the part of India’s same policy. India is making every possible move to harm Pakistan by blocking waters flowing down from those rivers which were dedicated under The Indus Water Treaty to meet Pakistan’s water demand.
Since Pahalgam terror attack provided good opportunity to India to walk away from The Indus Water Treaty Modi government rushed to suspend the treaty . Legally speaking, India can not suspend the Indus Water Treaty in any circumstances.
Now question arises what option Pakistan has got to force India to revoke its Wednesday ‘s decision of suspending The Indus Water Treaty ?
Pakistan has an option of moving the International Court of Arbitration against India’s unilateral decision of suspending The Indus Water Treaty.
What The Indus Water Treaty actually is. For it read the following.
The Indus Water Treaty (IWT) is a water-distribution treaty between India and Pakistan, arranged and negotiated by the World Bank, to use the water available in the Indus River and its tributaries.It was signed in Karachi on 19 September 1960 by then Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and then Pakistani President and Field Marshal Ayub Khan.[5][1] On 23 April 2025, the Foreign Secretary of India announced the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan following the 2025 Baisaran Valley Terrorist Attack.[6]
Indus Waters Treaty
सिंधु जल संधि
سندھ طاس معاہدہ
Treaty Between the Government of India and the Government of Pakistan Concerning the Use of Waters of the Indus System of Rivers. The Treaty gives control over the waters of the three “Eastern Rivers” – the Beas, Ravi and Sutlej located in India with a mean annual flow of 41 billion m3 (33 million acre⋅ft) – to India, while control over the waters of the three “Western Rivers” – the Indus, Chenab and Jhelum located in India with a mean annual flow of 99 billion m3 – to Pakistan. India got about 30% of the total water carried by the Indus Rivers System located in India while Pakistan got the remaining 70%..The treaty allows India to use the water of Western Rivers for limited irrigation use and unlimited non-consumptive uses such as power generation, navigation, floating of property, fish culture, etc.[10] It lays down detailed regulations for India in building projects over the Western Rivers. The preamble of the treaty recognises the rights and obligations of each country for the optimum water use from the Indus System of Rivers in a spirit of goodwill, friendship and cooperation. Though the treaty is no way connected with security aspects of both nations, Pakistan, being a downstream nation of both Eastern and Western Rivers, fears that India could potentially create floods or droughts in Pakistan, especially in times of warlike situation.
In 1948 during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947–1948, the water rights on the river system were the focus of an Indo-Pakistani water dispute. Since the ratification of the treaty in 1960, India and Pakistan have not engaged in any water wars, despite engaging in several military conflicts. Most disagreements and disputes have been settled via legal procedures, provided for within the framework of the treaty.
The Indus Waters Treaty is considered one of the most successful water sharing endeavors in the world today, even though analysts acknowledge the need to update certain technical specifications and expand the scope of the agreement to address climate change.
