India–Pakistan” From Water Rivalry to Shared Responsibility.

India–Pakistan” From Water Rivalry to Shared Responsibility

Recent events in South Asia reflect a pressing truth: nature diminishes the value of obstinate isolation, especially when dealing with a shared lifeline like water.

Crisis Unfolds

This monsoon season, India’s decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty—a water-sharing agreement upheld since 1960—has had devastating consequences on both sides of the border . Torrential rains, cloudbursts, and swollen reservoirs forced India to release massive water flows that, in some cases, damaged its own infrastructure. Notably, four floodgates at India’s Madhopur (Madhopur Headworks) failed—reportedly due to a combination of poor maintenance and overwhelming pressures—triggering floods in downstream areas and exacerbating Pakistan’s crisis .

In the Indian state of Punjab, the Ravi River overflowed, inundating villages and damaging embankments as authorities scrambled to evacuate thousands . Meanwhile, landslides and flash floods in Jammu and Kashmir and the Himalayan regions claimed dozens of lives in India, while Pakistan recorded hundreds of deaths and mass displacement, particularly in its Punjab province . Despite these calamities, India did issue flood warnings to Pakistan—rare cross-border communication under these strained circumstances—but many officials in Pakistan criticized the alerts as insufficient and untimely .

A Treaty Built on Friendship

The Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), signed on September 19, 1960, under World Bank mediation, was envisioned to foster goodwill amid increasing tensions. It allocated control over the eastern rivers—Ravi, Beas, Sutlej—to India, and the western rivers—Indus, Jhelum, Chenab—to Pakistan . Despite periodic geopolitical shocks and military confrontations, the Permanent Indus Commission (PIC) served as a vital arbitration body, keeping the treaty alive across decades of regional strife .

India’s suspension of the treaty in April 2025, triggered by a terror attack in Kashmir, marks the first significant disruption in its nearly 65-year history—and one fraught with environmental and geopolitical peril . Experts warn that undermining this framework damages water security, adds instability to already volatile relations, and jeopardizes climate resilience for both countries .

The Cost of Hostility

Across the border, Pakistan’s limited water storage capacity—only enough for about 30 days, compared to India’s 124-day buffer—leaves it deeply vulnerable to such shocks . The damage to agriculture, infrastructure, and livelihoods has been immense. Yet, both nations share the fate of shifting climate patterns, glacial melt, and extreme weather—challenges that transcend political borders .

A Call for Partnership

This natural calamity presents a critical opportunity. If India and Pakistan channel their energies toward sharing hydrological data, coordinating dam operations, and providing mutual disaster relief, many of these catastrophes could be mitigated—or even averted. The strength of the IWT lies not just in its clauses, but in its spirit of cooperation.

Now more than ever, peace, and pragmatism must replace divisiveness. True leadership is reflected not in scoreboard rivalries or political posturing, but in responding together to the storms that threaten all.

Syed Ali Raza Naqvi Bukhari

Unity of Peace, Economic Reform, and Global Unity

Founder & Chairman of Tehreek Istehkam Pakistan, and the author of “Law of God” and “Social Democratic System.” Advocates for truth, social justice, and reform in all sectors of society.