Walking on water

It is rare indeed for there to be any positive outcome to an interaction between Pakistan and India, but the round of talks about water in Lahore over two days in the last week has concluded with both sides going away if not exactly satisfied then not discontented either. For what appears to be the first time there is ‘give and take’, with the Indians, in this instance, doing the giving and Pakistan the taking. India has agreed that two of its hydropower projects can be inspected by Pakistan’s experts within the next month, as well as taking up concerns expressed by Pakistan and seeking an amicable resolution when the two sides meet next in New Delhi.

The Indus Waters Treaty has come under strain in recent years as climate change and the slow cyclic variations in the Indus river system affect water supplies to both countries. Although reports are sketchy, it does appear that both sides engaged in something approaching actual dialogue rather than a set-in-stone iteration of positions. Pakistan appears to have persuaded India to address the issues it raised, which at least suggests that India saw merit in the arguments being presented.

It is going to be three or four months before the next round of talks, leaving plenty of time for diplomats and water professionals to do the backchannel work that is so essential if the talks are to proceed positively. Water is one issue that is never going to go away and has to be jointly managed, and considering that the talks were suspended in 2014, this latest development is a significant ‘unsticking’ of a historically ‘stuck’ position.

India had to be prepared to make a move before the talks started and that in itself is encouraging in the wider aspect of Indo-Pak relations. Water may be an issue on which both sides can float other boats and it is not inconceivable, given the general lift in the chill on both sides of the border, that a walk on water is not as unlikely as it may sound. We can do nothing but wish both sides well.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 1^st, 2018.

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