In the annals of international relations, little agreements were able to resist the test of time and conflicts such as the Indus Water Treaty (IWT).
The treaty, signed in 1960 between Pakistan and India, managed to endure wars, political upheavals and the decades of fragile relations between the two nuclear nations bordering.
The IWT has shown its strength by being a beacon of endurance and hope in Indo-Pak relations.
However, this symbol of endurance is confronted at its most crucial moment, because India has decided to unilaterally suspend the Industry Water Treaty following a deadly terrorist attack against Indian tourists in the Jammu and Cashmere (IIOJK) region in Pahalgam.
Genesis of a lifestyle
The Indus is not only a river, it is an identity. An identity of millions of people whose life buoy depends on its flow and consumption. The river prior to the formation of the two states and has a historical value.
This helps maintain agriculture, livelihoods and ecosystems in Pakistan and India. Originally from Tibet, the river crosses the contested region of Jammu-et-Cachemire, flowing in Pakistan and ultimately emptying in the Oman Sea.
According to the climate diplomat, around 90% of Pakistan’s food production is linked to agriculture and livestock, which are based on the Indus river. The Indus also helps irrigation networks in the provinces of Punjab and Sindh.
Water relationships before iwt
India and Pakistan had no shared water treaty before the formation of the Industry Water Treaty. The Limits Commission, led by Sir Cyril Radcliffe, has made no serious effort to establish a water sharing agreement between India and Pakistan; Instead, he opted for newly created states to solve the problem themselves.
Water policy was not a cause of concern at the start of the score, but the question was highlighted when the province of India from Punjab Oriental cut the water supply of the Western Punjab province of Pakistan in April 1948, leading to a water crisis for Pakistan.
The actions of India have prompted the need to form a structured water treaty between the two nations, which could guarantee the water supply of Pakistan from the Indus.
The rise of the Industry Water Treaty
The Industrial Water Treaty was not trained in a working day, it took years of technical, diplomatic and political expertise for its training. The treaty was initially signed on September 19, 1960 in Karachi.
Pakistan was represented by its president Mohammad Ayub Khan and India by its Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, with the World Bank (then commonly known as the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development) acting as mediator and broker in the treaty.
The treaty survived three great wars and decades of diplomatic tensions and political upheavals until India decides to suspend it unilaterally.
Characteristics of the IWT:
The treaty includes a preamble, 12 articles (I-XI) and eight annexes. The treaty is linked between its parts (Pakistan and India).
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Article II grants India
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Article III grants the rights of Pakistan on Western rivers (Industry, Jhelum and Chenab) of the Indus.
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Article XII (4) stipulates that the provisions of the treaty continue in force until they end with a duly ratified treaty concluded for this purpose between the two governments.
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Article VIII establishes the Commission of the Permanent Industry.
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Article IX provides a mechanism to resolve disputes and differences between the parties.
Chronology: Key events in the history of the Industry Water Treaty
| Year / Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1947 | Partition of British India |
| April 1, 1948 | Water holding begins |
| May 4, 1948 | Interim agreement |
| 1951 | Pakistan approaches the UN |
| 1960 | Treaty signed |
| 1965 | Indo-Pak war |
| 1971 | Indo-Pak war |
| 1999 | War of kargil |
| 2001 | Attack on the Parliament of India |
| 2008 | Mumbai Attack |
| 2016 | Uri attack |
| 2019 | Pulwama attack |
| 2019 | The special cashmere status revoked |
| 2025 (April 23) | Pahalgam attack |
The fall of the Industry Water Treaty?
The point of rupture of the treaty came with the tragic attack in the Pahalgam region of the IIOJK, which led to the death of more than two dozen tourists.
India, without launching an official investigation or presented no evidence, accused Pakistan of facilitating the attack, of qualifying it as cross -border terrorism.
Despite Pakistan’s conviction of the attack, India has suspended the TWT, marking an important departure from the decades of successful aquatic diplomacy.
However, despite the unilateral actions of India, the provisions of the treaty suggest measures for termination or suspension of the treaty and a state mechanism to resolve disputes between signatories.
Several experts and diplomats, including Abdul Basit, the former High Commissioner of Pakistan in India (2014-2017), believe that there are no immediate diplomatic problems for Pakistan, in particular with regard to the cancellation of the Industry Water Treaty.
In the long term, the suspension of India will have devastating consequences for Pakistan, which already faces water insecurity.
The industrial helps Pakistan maintaining its agriculture and its economy. It is also deeply rooted in the cultural, historical and spiritual identity of Pakistan, in particular in the Sindh. I in Pakistan considerably designates the Indus and is mentioned in the country’s folk traditions, Sufism and music.
The treaty has maintained its meaning by being one of the most successful aquatic treaties in the world despite fragile Indo-Pake relationships.
As tensions between India and Pakistan increase, safeguard the Indus and TPO remains vital not only for the stability of Pakistan, but for the preservation of a shared heritage that transcends borders.
