A treaty under water

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A treaty under water

On 24 April, the Indian Secretary of Jal Sakti wrote to her Pakistani counterpart that India had sent several notices to Pakistan seeking modifications of the Indus Water Treaty. This is because fundamental changes have taken place since the Treaty was signed in 1960. These changes “require a reassessment of obligations.” She then pointed out that “sustained cross-border terrorism by Pakistan has directly impeded India’s full utilisation of rights under the Treaty.” The Indian Government has thus decided to keep the Treaty under “abeyance”. This decision was a direct result of terrorists killing 26 innocent tourists in Pahalgam, Kashmir. Following this attack, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed to “identify, track and punish every terrorist and their backers.” The hostilities between the two nuclear-powered neighbours ended with a ceasefire on 17 May. It is a miracle that the Treaty has lasted 65 years, even though the socioeconomic conditions of the two countries have changed remarkably during this period. Increase in population, urbanisation, economic activities and standards of living have led to a very significant escalation in water demands in both countries. Poor water management practices have further exacerbated water situations in both countries. The Treaty was on sickbed by 2000: now it is in an intensive care unit. During 65 years of treaty, water management practices have changed remarkably. Pakistan has now indicated its willingness to re-discuss the treaty. See Cecilia Tortajada and my views. This article was written at the request of the Centre for Policy Research, South Asia’s leading water policy think tank.

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