Stark reality of Indus Water Treaty

When Pakistan was carved out of India in 1947, various physical and natural resources were also divided between the two countries. Pakistan was created by Muslim League leader Muhammad Ali Jinnah by conspiring with the British, but it also needed various means to run a country. Since the partition of Pakistan was unusual, it was not an easy task to divide the sources. Therefore, even after the British left India, this work continued for years. West Pakistan was formed by the partition of Punjab and with it Sindh and North West Frontier (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) region, so the water of the rivers was also shared between the two countries. The five major rivers of the united Punjab, the Ravi, the Sutlej, the Beas, the Chenab and the Jhelum, passed through India and flowed towards the newly formed Pakistan, so the waters of these rivers were also shared. Along with this, the water of the sixth river Indus was also shared. There was not much problem between India and Pakistan regarding the sharing of railway and military and financial sources, but the dialogue about the sharing of water of rivers was very long and this water agreement was signed in 1960 under the mediation of the World Bank, which is called 'Indus River Water Agreement'.

Under this agreement, India was given full rights over the waters of the three rivers Sutlej, Beas and Ravi in the east, while Pakistan was given the right to use 80 percent of the water of the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab in the west. But this agreement was made in an atmosphere of friendship and goodwill between the two countries. In a way, the condition of the agreement was that there should be a harmonious atmosphere between the two countries. After 1960, Pakistan fought three wars with India (1965, 1971 and 1999), but India never denied the existence of this treaty. Even since 1990, Pakistan has been waging a proxy war of terrorism against India, yet India has been respecting the treaty, but when Pakistan-sponsored terrorism reached its limit and on April 22, its terrorists killed 26 tourists (including a Kashmiri national) in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir in a very gruesome manner. On April 24, the government announced the suspension of the treaty and stopped the water of Chenab, a river. India was not able to use even 20 per cent of its share of water from the rivers of the West. It was his kindness. But when the water rose above his head, he had to take this drastic step.

On April 24, the Modi Cabinet passed a resolution declaring the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) on the back burner and conveying it to Pakistan through an efficient diplomatic channel. It is not as if India had not expressed its intention to review the water treaty earlier. India had also written to Pakistan in January 2023 and September 2024, warning that it was willing to review the Indus Water Treaty in the changed circumstances. However, there was no response from the Pakistani side. This makes it clear that India was alerting Pakistan before taking drastic steps, but it did not even fall on deaf ears. When India has shown that it knows not only how to 'modesty' but also know how to 'anger', Pakistan has woken up from its slumber. When it is clearly written in this treaty that there should be a sense of harmony and goodwill between the two countries, then Pakistan itself should consider whether its attitude is in accordance with it. It is obvious that Pakistan is so nervous about the stagnation of the water of only one river that it is now looking for a way to save itself, while the condition of the treaty is that it is very important to maintain goodwill between the two countries.

India has not used even 100 per cent of the water of the three previous rivers on humanitarian grounds alone and has stalled the construction of dams and power plants on them. But since the 1960s, there has been a lot of change in climate and other ecological areas, so India wants to face the challenges of changing times. For this reason, he is also demanding a review of the treaty. But on the contrary, Pakistan has waged a 'mega' wave of terrorist activities against India. Therefore, India has clearly stated that the water treaty will remain in cold storage until Pakistan ends terrorism against India. At the same time, India is also of the firm view that there can be no role for any third party in this treaty between the two countries because how can any third party give guarantees on behalf of a terrorist country like Pakistan.