The Indian subcontinent is once again at the brink of confrontation. Pakistan has accused India of deliberately weaponizing water flows to aggravate the catastrophic floods that have displaced nearly 1.8 million people across Punjab and Sindh. In fact, both countries have been severely hit by climate-related calamities, and India itself has also suffered from the same torrential rains. Yet the accusation is politically loaded: control over the Indus River system has always been a matter of sovereignty, survival, and confrontation between Delhi and Islamabad.

Historically speaking, the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960, often hailed as a rare case of successful conflict management, has survived wars and crises. But it has also been a tool of leverage. Whenever tensions in Kashmir flare, India has not hesitated to threaten suspension of the agreement, thereby endangering Pakistan’s already fragile water security. The issue of water has thus always been as decisive as military deployments in shaping the contours of South Asia’s geopolitical disputes.

As I’ve commented before, the deepening of US-India ties must also be seen in light of these tensions. The Kashmir attack — described by CNN as the deadliest civilian assault in over two decades — prompted India to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty, close the Wagah border crossing, and expel Pakistani diplomats. Pakistan responded by shutting down its........

© Blitz