IWT in spotlight

India finds itself isolated internationally over its handling of transboundary water politics. Legal experts, diplomats and environmentalists have strongly condemned New Delhi's unilateral suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT). At the ongoing UN Human Rights Council session in Geneva, officials have warned that weaponising water threatens the food security and livelihoods of millions across the region. Pakistan, the lower riparian state, bears the brunt of this policy as India attempts to assert regional dominance and bypass global accountability.

The panel at Geneva made vital observations regarding the indispensable reliance of populations dependent on the Indus Basin. By directly linking water governance to human rights, it underscored that transboundary agreements must not become optional when bilateral relations deteriorate. This is a foundational principle of international jurisprudence. Accordingly, the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled in Pakistan's favour, holding that the IWT remains fully in force despite India's unilateral decision to hold it in abeyance. Furthermore, as a procedural guarantor to the landmark 1960 accord, the World Bank has viewed actions altering the treaty framework as ultra vires breach of international law. Thus, weaponising water to this degree amounts to environmental and water terrorism.

This breach of a major international covenant demands a global response, as it is no longer just a bilateral issue for Pakistan. India's disregard for transboundary water governance violates state-centric norms and forces a lower riparian neighbour into an existential crisis. At a time when environmental degeneration is accelerating, such volatile policies act as a catalyst for climate change, crippling agricultural production and disrupting critical energy grids. India's determination to construct massive hydroelectric dams in occupied Jammu & Kashmir and its mainland systematically steals Pakistan's lawful water share. The world must unite to issue a firm dictum against New Delhi, prioritising human life and legal accountability over regional hegemony.