Islamabad: Pakistan must combine sustained diplomatic engagement to defend its rights under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) with stronger domestic water management to address its growing water-security challenges. Experts emphasized that safeguarding the country's water interests requires action beyond legal proceedings, including international advocacy, diplomatic engagement, reduced water wastage, and improved coordination among relevant institutions.
These views were expressed at a seminar titled 'Beyond The Hague: Securing Pakistan's Water Rights and Water Security,' organized by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS), Islamabad.
The seminar featured Ambassador (retd) Shafqat Kakakhel, former deputy executive director of UN Environment Program; Dr. Afsah Qazi, assistant professor at the Centre for International Peace and Stability, NUST; Dr. Summera Fahmi Khan, member, UNESCO Chair on Knowledge Systems for Integrated Water Resources Management, COMSATS; Khalid Rahman, Chairman, IPS; Ambassador (retd) Syed Abrar Hussain, vice chairman, IPS; and Faryal Qazi, research officer, IPS.
In his introductory remarks, Ambassador (retd) Abrar Hussain highlighted the IWT's strategic, environmental, and socioeconomic significance. He underscored the need to examine the treaty through historical, diplomatic, and policy perspectives.
In his keynote address, Ambassador Kakakhel provided a detailed overview of the IWT, examining its historical foundations, current challenges, and future prospects. He described the treaty as the most comprehensive water-distribution agreement of its kind and a gold standard for Pakistan. He argued that India had sought to revise the treaty and had not cooperated with its established mechanisms well before announcing its decision to hold it in abeyance in April 2025. According to him, India's notice, issued within hours of the Pahalgam attack, reflected a position that had been developing for some time.
Ambassador Kakakhel also expressed concern over India's accelerated development of hydropower projects on the Chenab River, arguing that India's approach could transform the river valley into a concentration of dams. He maintained that certain dam-design and infrastructure features contravened provisions and technical requirements specified in the treaty's annexures, while India had not complied with the relevant mechanisms. He linked these developments to the Indian government's longstanding criticism of the treaty as an unfair arrangement.
Emphasizing the need for a measured response, Ambassador Kakakhel urged Pakistan to continue pursuing cooperation and diplomacy while avoiding provocations. He highlighted Pakistan's efforts to defend its treaty rights internationally, noting that its response extended beyond contesting the case at The Hague. He stated that Pakistani diplomatic missions were actively raising awareness of Pakistan's position and presenting its case that India was violating the treaty rather than Pakistan acting unfairly under its provisions. He further stressed that the US and the World Bank, as parties involved in establishing the treaty framework, should play an active role in facilitating its resumption.
Dr. Afsah Qazi emphasized that India's refusal to heed the Permanent Court of Arbitration's decision would not, in itself, absolve it of its responsibilities. She highlighted the potential of soft diplomacy to generate indirect pressure for compliance, suggesting that diplomatic engagement and international attention could complement formal legal proceedings. She also underscored the importance of addressing Pakistan's internal water-management challenges, stressing that while external efforts to secure its water rights remain essential, the country must also reduce water wastage and improve the management of its available resources.
Adding an institutional perspective, Dr. Summera Khan highlighted the importance of inter-institutional coordination in translating available data into effective policy action. She emphasized that strengthening coordination among relevant institutions is important for ensuring that knowledge and evidence inform practical measures to address Pakistan's water-security challenges.
Concluding the seminar, Khalid Rahman highlighted that it is not essentially a water security issue between the two countries, but rather a political one. He added that the challenge of the IWT in abeyance cannot be addressed in isolation, independent of political goodwill from India. He also stressed that Pakistan should pursue both immediate measures and a broader long-term vision for securing its water interests.