It is in the backdrop of the Pakistan cricket team’s visit to Jammu and Kashmir that a senior BJP leader has pitched for scrapping the Indus Water Treaty, opening up renewed debate and geopolitical discourse.
This Indus Water Treaty, signed in 1960, controls the sharing by India and Pakistan with respect to the waters of rivers. It formed part of the mainstays of water management and diplomatic relations between the two countries during many past decades, including periods of heightened tensions.
The call to scrap the treaty has come against the backdrop of a Pakistan cricket team visiting Jammu and Kashmir, which has been perceived by sections of Indian leadership as a diplomatic provocation. That visit reopened political sensitivities around the sensitive issue of cross-border relations and territorial disputes.
Opponents argue that it is an attempt to strengthen Pakistan’s case for the internationalization of J&K’s status, which India perceives as its integral part, by participating in cultural and sporting events in J&K. The BJP leader’s demand to junk the Indus Water Treaty is seen as responding to Pakistan’s perceived actions and asserting India’s sovereignty and national interests.
Yet, for its defenders, the treaty is an instrument for synchronizing adequate distribution between the two countries, thereby helping to avoid water-related conflicts between these two nuclear neighbors. They argue that it provides a framework for peaceful cooperation over water management that is crucial to the sustainable development and livelihoods of millions in the two countries.
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The debate is rhetorical, and in this politico-diplomatic rhetoric, viz., the very future of the Indus Water Treaty remains uncertain. Embedded in the visit of the cricket team to J&K is the newest dimension added to the chronic geopolitics between India and Pakistan, putting into the limelight cross-border relations and territorial disputes in the region.
Against such a background, withdrawal of the Indus Water Treaty, if pursued, shall further have implications for water security, regional stability, and bilateral relations between India and Pakistan in the long term. The situation remains fluid as stakeholders keep a close watch over diplomatic engagements and political developments that might have implications for the fragile balance of peace and cooperation in South Asia.
