“In the twentieth century, nations secured their borders. In the twenty-first century, they must also secure their rivers, glaciers, food systems, energy supplies, and ecological foundations.”

When India announced in May 2025 that it was placing the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) framework in abeyance following the tragic killing of civilians in Pahalgam, and subsequently launched military operations under Operation Sindoor, Pakistan’s immediate attention understandably focused on the unfolding military confrontation. Pakistan’s armed forces gave a strong account of themselves during the ensuing conflict, demonstrating professional competence and reinforcing conventional and strategic deterrence. Yet while the military phase of the crisis gradually subsided, another and potentially more enduring challenge remained: the growing spectre of water insecurity.

For more than six decades, the Indus Waters Treaty had survived wars, military crises, diplomatic breakdowns, and prolonged political hostility. It endured because leaders on both sides of the border recognised a simple but profound reality: water was too vital to be weaponised. The Indus Basin sustains hundreds of millions of people, supports one of the largest irrigated agricultural systems in the world, and constitutes the ecological lifeline of Pakistan. The events of 2025, therefore, represented more than a diplomatic dispute. They served as a........

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