It is 22nd April, 2025. 26 tourists are gunned down in the Baisaran meadow of Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir.

India, as usual, blames Pakistan, without any investigation or shred of evidence. Then, on 23rd April, 2025, India unilaterally puts in abeyance the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) of 1960 with Pakistan. The Indian government cites national security concerns and Pakistan’s alleged support of state-sponsored terrorism as reasons for this unlawful step.

The suspension of one of the world’s most conflict-resilient water-sharing agreements is an extraordinary development and marks a surprising, serious and harsh act. For over six decades, the IWT endured various diplomatic breakdowns, violent escalations and full-scale wars between India and Pakistan, even in 1965, 1971 and the Kargil conflict of 1999, as well as surging nationalism on both sides, without being seriously questioned by either party. That it has now faltered signals a shift not only in India-Pakistan relations but also in the geopolitics of the region and the politics and management of shared water resources.

Signed in 1960 with the support of World Bank mediation, the IWT divided the waters of the Indus River System between India and Pakistan. It grants Pakistan control over the three western tributaries (Indus, Jhelum, Chenab) and India control over the eastern tributaries (Ravi, Beas, Sutlej).

For Pakistan, the treaty guaranteed access to vital resources for irrigation and energy production and remains a backbone of the country’s economy and food security. For India, exclusive rights over the eastern rivers allowed for expanding its irrigation networks to support food production, developing water infrastructure to support rural development, and........

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