Rivers are more than channels of flowing water. They are the lifelines of civilizations. Throughout history, great civilizations emerged along rivers, agriculture flourished because of them and states derived strength from their waters. Yet when rivers become entangled in politics, they can also be-come sources of uncertainty and conflict.

The Indus Waters Treaty was born out of this understanding. Signed in 1960 with the facilitation of the World Bank, it survived wars, diplomatic crises, military standoffs and decades of mistrust between Pakistan and India. For more than sixty years, the treaty remained one of the few functioning mechanisms of cooperation between two rivals. It endured because both sides understood that water was too important to become a hostage to politics.

Today, that assumption is being tested. India’s decision to place the treaty in abeyance has reopened a fundamental debate about the future of water cooperation in South Asia. What was once regarded as a technical framework for managing shared rivers is increasingly being viewed through the lenses of international law, regional security, climate change and geopolitics.

The issue is particularly significant for Pakistan. The Indus River system supports the overwhelming majority of the country’s agricultural production. Millions of livelihoods depend on its waters, while food security, economic stability and rural development remain closely tied to the predictable flow of the rivers covered under the treaty. Any........

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