INDIA’S VIOLATIONS OF THE INDUS-WATERSTREATY, ITS IMPLICATIONS AT THE REGIONAL AND GLOBAL LEVEL

Abstract

Currently, the world continues to face pressing challenges on the issue of water. To regulate transboundary water distribution, there are numerous water-related regimes, but they lack the requisite authority to enforce their policies. The Indus River System (IRS) is essential for both India and Pakistan, and it needs to be handled carefully by preserving the sanctity of the rare diplomatic victory of the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) of 1960. Yet, the risk of hydro-political tension is increasing in the region against the spirit of the suggestion made by scholars that sharing water should not be a zero-sum game. India is already violating the IWT and might experiment to revoke it altogether, putting Pakistan’s survival at stake. The situation could lead to a worst-case scenario where Islamabad might be compelled to react without separating the two issues, namely ‘Water and Kashmir’. Contemporary times call for water rationality to prevail, presently, all options to uphold peace in the region lie with India. Thus, it is suggested that both countries
address their long-pending unsettled issues so that the two sides could work together for the well-being of over 1.6650 billion people of this region.