Has the Indus Waters Treaty Been Fair to India, and What Is the Way Forward: An Expert Explains

Earlier this month, Pakistan indicated its readiness to engage in talks with India over the Indus Waters Treaty, which India had suspended following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.

- BY YASHEE

The treaty once again came under the spotlight in the aftermath of the incident, especially after Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasized that "blood and water cannot flow together." Notably, India had already taken a firm stance in January 2023, issuing a formal notice to Pakistan seeking a renegotiation of the treaty's terms.

The Indus treaty has endured for almost 65 years, sharing the waters of the Indus river system - the 'Eastern Rivers', namely Sutlej, Beas and Ravi, for India, and the 'Western Rivers' of Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab for Pakistan.

Sections in both India and Pakistan have claimed the treaty is unfair to their country and too generous to the other. When it was signed, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had termed it the "price of peace for Pakistan". Now, there are calls within India to scrap it entirely, while Pakistan has claimed that any disruption to its water supply will be treated as "an act of war".

However, amid all the clamour, much about the treaty remains little-understood, to its supporters and detractors alike. Uttam Kumar Sinha, Senior Fellow at the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses breaks down the terms of the treaty, and what keeping it "in abeyance" means.

Since it was signed in 1960, what has the Indus Waters Treaty meant for India?

The Indus Waters Treaty was a product of the context in which it was signed. A lot has changed since then, not just politically, but hydro geomorphologically and in terms of population growth and irrigation use. In all fairness, the treaty needs to be renegotiated keeping the current realities in mind.