Weaponising water

It is important to expose the truth of how the weaponisation of natural resources — especially water — has unfolded in one of the world's most volatile regions. The Indus River, once a symbol of shared prosperity, is now increasingly being used as a tool of political leverage and strategic influence.

While India cannot completely stop the Indus flow or divert its tributaries, its control over dam operations allows it to manipulate the timing of water releases — a capability that carries serious implications for Pakistan. Even minor disruptions during crucial agricultural seasons can have devastating effects, particularly given Pakistan's limited storage capacity of barely a month's river flow.

With nearly 80% of its irrigated agriculture dependent on the Indus Basin, any alteration in water timing could trigger far-reaching economic and social consequences. Recent unilateral actions by India — such as conducting reservoir flushing on western rivers without prior coordination — have raised alarm. Though presented as technical measures, they carry unmistakable political undertones, challenging the spirit of the Indus Waters Treaty. The Ecological Threat Report 2025 too confirms this growing risk, warning that water flow manipulation, even within technical limits, could become a form of strategic pressure amid escalating regional tensions.

For more than six decades, the Indus Water Treaty has stood as a rare example of sustained cooperation between two nuclear-armed neighbours. Its erosion would not only weaken one of South Asia's most critical peace mechanisms but also risk drawing in external powers whose strategic interests could complicate the situation further.

Water is not a weapon, nor should it ever become one. It is a shared lifeline that demands collective responsibility and restraint. The stability of South Asia depends on both nations recognising that peace will not come from controlling rivers — but from managing them together with dialogue and respect.