The response Pakistan needs is not a single dramatic gesture. It is a sustained, simultaneous campaign across three fronts – and encouragingly, some movement on each front is already discernible, even if the pace and coordination can be strengthened.

The legal front. Pakistan should press its case at the Permanent Court of Arbitration, the World Bank, the International Court of Justice, and the UN Watercourses Convention – not sequentially, but in parallel. The IWT’s mechanisms allow Pakistan to initiate arbitration proceedings without India’s consent. A 2025 ruling by the Court of Arbitration already upheld key aspects of Pakistan’s water rights. These are not symbolic gestures; they build an international legal record that constrains India’s freedom of action and lays the groundwork for eventual enforcement.

The diplomatic front. Pakistan must internationalise this crisis with greater urgency and strategic coherence. The Gulf states depend substantially on Pakistani agricultural exports and have compelling reasons to support Pakistan’s water infrastructure. China,........

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