The Indus Waters Treaty: Prospects for India-Pakistan Peace (original) (raw)

Hydro-diplomacy and the prospects of environmental peacebuilding between Pakistan and India

Journal of humanities, social and management sciences, 2022

Pakistan and India have a history of animosity on many issues including transboundary water sharing but in 1960 both states agreed on sharing the rivers of the Indus basin by signing the Indus Water Treaty (IWT). IWT ensures sustained cooperation on the issue of transboundary water sharing and sets the parameters for the hydro-diplomacy between Pakistan and India. In recent times, mutual vulnerabilities around the environmental issues and the water scarcity, have again brought in a possibility of extending cooperation on water sharing by revisiting the IWT. Consequently, the hydro-diplomacy has the potential of spill over effect for the settlement of outstanding disputes between Pakistan and India thus paving the way for the regional peace and integration of South Asia. The paper reviews the literature on hydro-diplomacy and incorporates the document analysis to analyse the efficacy of the principles of cooperation laid down in IWT and evaluates the forces that have been behind the treaty and the possibilities for the future of environmental peacebuilding between Pakistan and India. The paper also evaluates the hydrodiplomacy as characterized by the power dynamics, hegemony, and the nature of political and economic relations between Pakistan and India.

Water Issues and its implications Over India-Pakistan Relations

This paper attempts to find out the water issues between India and Pakistan and its implications over relations of these bilateral states. This study investigates the conflicts over constructing dams or water storages on cross boundary rivers for example the building of Baghliar Dam, Kishanganga Plant and Wullar Barrage by India and also investigates Pakistan's response to these projects, judgment of intercontinental Court of Arbitration, responses of both sides and confidence building measures signed regarding the issue. This study explores that the water issue would prove disastrous if it was not solved in time. For peace in South Asia, solution of this conflict is necessary as early as possible.

Averting Politics of Water: Indus Water Treaty in India-Pakistan Relation

Indus Water Treaty (IWT), is an agreement between Pakistan and India which describes the division of waters and management of drainage between the two countries. On 18 September 2016, the Uri Army Camp at Jammu and Kashmir face a major terrorist attack. After this, it was frequently circulated in the public domain and extensively discussed among intellectuals in the various platforms that whether water can once again serve as a weapon or as a strategic asset to control Pakistan aggressive policy. Some of the individuals have strongly advocated abrogating IWT with Pakistan. Finally, a strategic community of India come with the suggestions to maximizing the utilization of water under the formal procedure of the treaty. The IWT stand as world's unique successful example for conflict resolution. IWT between India-Pakistan is the only agreement that faces various war and short conflict. However, not subject to political mobilization. The treaty survives even in four wars, Siachen conflict, and the reoccurring military standoff. For the academic convenience, the paper has framed in three section such as History of Indus Water Treaty, Post-Uri attack and India-Pakistan Relation and final section propose to safeguard IWT. In other words, it can be said that the summarising the recent developments in terms of IWT between India-Pakistan relation is a primary objective of this paper.

Water Politics between Pakistan and India: An Analysis

Research Journal of Social Sciences and Economics Review (RJSSER)

Pakistan is blessed with rich natural resources in which water resources are the major ones. Yet the level of this important resource has been reached at an alarming level due to myriad factors such as misuse, mismanagement, and politics in water sectors at both levels national and international. The study is presenting an overview of the state of the Indus Water Treaty, Indus River Basin, and conflict between India and Pakistan in the wake of the Indus Water Treaty (IWT). The focus of the study is to reveal the hegemony of India on international waters and its relations with the outer world. Moreover, the research study has presented root causes of the water crisis, hydro politics in the South Asia region, the hegemony of India on international waters. Water management policies and co-operation mechanism is required between Pakistan and India to cope with the challenge of water shortage.

Geopolitics of Water in South Asia: A Case-Study of Indus Water Treaty as a Conflict Resolution Mechanism for Pakistan-India Water Security Dilemma

Geopolitics of Water in South Asia: A Case-Study of Indus Water Treaty as a Conflict Resolution Mechanism for Pakistan-India Water Security Dilemma, 2022

Water resources are the lifeline to any country's economic growth and development. Water is a fundamental human right because it is indispensable for human existence. Pakistan and India both are water-scarce states. The discord of Indus Basin water started when Redcliff Award favoured India. Indus Water Treaty (1960), a trans-boundary treaty played an imperative in resolving the water conflict through its conflict resolution mechanism. Of late, Pakistan protested against India's construction of various dams, diverting the flow of western waters and violating the Indus Water Treaty. This study intends to explore the water security dilemma of Pakistan as a downstream riparian. This research concludes by presenting potential recommendations to help prevent future water crises. If harnessed properly, this treaty would help not only diffuse tensions between two nuclear neighbours but will extend peace and amity in the entire region.

Water conflict between Pakistan and India: Implications to regional peace and security

Journal of Humanities, Social and Management Sciences (JHSMS)

Pakistan and India are water stressed countries and the seed of water conflict between the two has been sowed by the Punjab boundary commission at the time of Partition. Trans-boundary water treaties have played a significant role in resolving the water disputes though the mechanism of conflict resolution varies and structurally fails to address the future problems that may arise. Indus Water Treaty (IWT) has been examined as an efficacious Model of conflict resolution and induced cooperation from 1960s to 1980s. Pakistan claimed that India is violating IWT by building dams and diverting waters of Western Rivers flowing from India to Pakistan. Therefore, the research attempts to answer the following questions. What is the cumulative effect of Indian dams being constructed on the Western Rivers? Can India Unilaterally withdraw the treaty? What would be the implications if India violates the treaty? Holistic content analysis of qualitative method and conflict theory has been used to i...

Indian Water Hegemony; Hinge on Pakistan-India Relations

Water scarcity in Pakistan is the hall mark. Per-capita water capacity is dwindling day by day. The agriculture faces bad time due to shortage of water. The GDP and GNP have badly affected. The shortfall of electricity is not being controlled as the dams have dried up. The reasons for the water scarcity are that India has started constructing the run-of-the-river dams on the Rivers which have allocated to Pakistan. As per the Indus Water Treaty signed in 1960, Pakistan was allowed to make the exclusive use of the water of Rivers Jhelum, Chenab and Indus, whereas, the water of Eastern Rivers such as Ravi, Sutlej and Beas could be used by India exclusively. It is unfortunate that India started construction on the Rivers of Chenab and Jhelum. Thus Pakistan has lost the share of water which was due to it. The result is drought, famine and less production of crops. It is feared that if the same continues Pakistan may one day will have resort to the import of food despite an agrarian country. There is no denying a fact that the Pakistan is in the tight grips of water scarcity. There is drought-like situation. It worsens when it is known that this country has an agro-based economy 1. The GDP and GNP suffer a lot and the targets set by the Ministry of Finance, Government of Pakistan 2. People face severe shortage for the potable waters also. The dams have dried up and electricity is in shortage. This is how the country is in the limbo of darkness. The industry has shut down and the irrigation system has badly affected due to dried canals 3. This acute shortage of water has its roots in a decades-old dispute between India and Pakistan. The Punjab was partitioned 4 unpardonably in 1947 and created conflicts between both the countries. Water flew from Indian occupied Kashmir and enjoyed grip over the water. Pakistan had dependence on the water of six rivers which irrigated crops on the heartland of Pakistan id est. Punjab and other provinces. Lurking in this grave situation which the India could create famines and droughts in Pakistan, Pakistan had to resort to the solution of this grave danger which had a potential to strangulate the throttle of Pakistan's agro based economy. With the brokerage of the World Bank and under its auspices it entered into a water treaty which is known as Indus Basin Treaty 5 and signed in Karachi on 19 th September, 1960between the Prime Minister of India JawaharLal Nehru and the President of Pakistan Field Marshal Muhammad Ayub Khan 6. The India enjoyed complete independence over waters of three eastern rivers namely, Ravi, Sutlej and Beas. The right of India on the use of these rivers and its tributaries ended on the point where it entered into Pakistan. Likewise,

India-Pakistan Water Relations: A Theoretical Perspective

Pakistan Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

Hydro politics is an important dimension of India Pakistan relations, overshadowed mainly by strategic issues between both states. Even the discussion on water issues is more focused on technical issues. However, the main question that arises is: Is hydro politics between India and Pakistan a problem of perceptions (intentions) or it forms part of overall strategic rivalry between both states? This paper discusses India-Pakistan water relations from the theoretical perspectives of (neo) realism, (neo) liberalism, constructivism, and human security school of thought. It argues that, like in general India-Pakistan political relations, it is realism/ neo-realism which still reigns supreme in explaining India-Pakistan hydro politics as well. It argues that in the wake of the Cold War, different theories emerged which undermined the traditional approaches and perspectives of realism and liberalism. These new theoretical traditions were also employed in explaining India-Pakistan political...

Water, War and Peace:: Linkages and Scenarios in India-Pakistan Relations

2011

Conflict is a fact of international relations. Its causes range from disputed territories or un-demarcated boundaries associated with vital resources (realpolitik or geopolitics), to political or ideological incompatibilities (ideational politics). Existing or perceived incompatibilities can lead to the formation of hostile actors and aggravate conflict behaviour; conflict behaviour can become armed, and, thus, inter-state relations become militarised. Wars have their genesis in such a state of affairs. Several factors relating to both schools of thought can be identified in the Indo-Pakistan conflict. From a neo-realistic perspective, this thesis examines India and Pakistan’s conflicting interest, bound as they are to the irredentist territory of Kashmir, and argues that conflict over Kashmir is not exclusively ideological but also fundamentally connected to the control of the Indus water resource. There exists to date no significant research focussing predominantly on this aspect ...

Pakistan’s Water Vulnerability and the Risk of Inter-State Conflict in South Asia

Forman Journal of Economic Studies, 2013

The paper addresses the issue of water scarcity and water vulnerability in Pakistan. It appears that wasteful agricultural practices; the dam centered internal politics and the recent construction of dams by the Indian government on the shared rivers has caused concern amongst certain quarters and created fears in some sections of society in Pakistan that India could redirect some of the water which rightfully belongs to Pakistan under the Indus Basin Treaty. If this indeed happens there could be serious water shortages in parts of downstream Pakistan. A game theoretic analysis of the situation suggests that, given the nature of induced water stress, the law of unlimited territorial sovereignty, if implemented in this case, could result in a Nash equilibrium of bilateral aggression for these nuclear neighbors. Institutional mechanisms therefore have to be put into place for monitoring river flows on both sides of the border and information sharing as stipulated under the Indus Basin Treaty to prevent tensions and develop a cooperative approach to the problem of growing water scarcity related with climate change.