By Aroosa Hafeez

India and Pakistan both rely on snow-fed rivers that rise in Himalayas. The Indus River is one of the mighty rivers of the world and a blessing for the subcontinent because of geographical and economic value. However, conflicts and animosities between India and Pakistan have been continuous over the interpretation of water sharing ever since partition. India is upstream country and Pakistan is the downstream country, Pakistan depends upon the Indus for its sustenance. The Indus River originates from southwestern Tibet Autonomous Region of China and flows through the Ladakh Himalaya, IIOJK and then into Pakistan to drain into the Arabian Sea, forming the Sapta Sindhu ("Seven Rivers") delta in the Sindh province. The total length of the river is 3200 km (1988 miles) and is joined by 5 major Tributaries. The total drainage area of river is exceeding 450,000 square miles.

After the partition of subcontinent, the water system has been bifurcated with the headworks in India and the canals running through Pakistan. However, the territorial disputes remained biggest obstacle and security threat between both the countries. The Indus River passes through Indian illegal occupied Jammu and Kashmir which is in dispute between both the countries. IIOJK is also considered to be the source of water in Pakistan thus the territorial dispute has somehow taken hydro-strategic turn.

As the demand of water has been increasing and supply is decreasing with the passage of time, the water dispute between both the countries is also intensifying. However, the irrigation system that was built before partition is interdependent and way complex. India being the upper riparian can anytime reduce or stop the water flow to its lower riparian, Pakistan but there are treaties and international laws that does not permit to do so and avoid conflicts. After the 8 years of negotiations in 1960, India and Pakistan signed a water distribution agreement known as Indus Water Treaty (IWT). A resolution was partly initiated and brokered by the World Bank to use the water available in the Indus system of rivers. The treaty divides the control of six rivers between the two nations. India got control over Beas, Ravi, and Sutlej while Pakistan got control over Indus, Chenab, and Jhelum.

A two day meeting between India and Pakistan was held on 23rd and 24th March, 2021 under the Indus Water Treaty after the gap of 2 years. The Indian delegation was led by P.K. Saxena, India’s Indus Commissioner, and his team from the Central Water Commission, the Central Electricity Authority and the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation. The Pakistani delegation was led by Indus Commissioner Syed Muhammad Meher Ali Shah. Both the sides discussed a host of issues under the Indus Waters Treaty during the annual Permanent Indus Commission meeting. After the meeting, India approved two Hydropower Projects on Rivers that flows into Pakistan, the Pakal Dul Hydro Electric Project and Lower Kalnai hydropower projects. The Pakal Dul Hydro Electric Project (1,000 MW) is proposed on the Marusudar river, a tributary of the Chenab river, in Kishtwar district in IIOJK. The Lower Kalnai project is proposed in Kishtwar and Doda districts, IIOJK.

Pakistan has raised objection over the projects, saying that the projects violate the World-Bank mediated Indus Water Treaty (IWT) on sharing of the Indus River and its tributaries. Pakistan also sought additional information on these hydropower projects in Ladakh. The treaty gives right to Pakistan to raise objections to designs of Indian hydroelectric projects on the western rivers. According to the Treaty the waters of the western rivers Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab were allocated to Pakistan except for “specified domestic, non-consumptive and agricultural use, permitted to India.”

According to Indian officials India has fast-tracked hydropower projects worth $15 billion in Kashmir in recent months but according to the IWT India is not permitted to build projects on the Indus, Jhelum or Chenab rivers to divert or store water flowing to Pakistan. The treaty clearly spells the do's and don'ts for both countries; as it allows India to use only 20 per cent of the total water carried by the Indus River but India is continuously violating treaties.

Pakistan is completely dependent on Indus River for agricultural use however; India has other River system upon which it can rely. India takes the advantage of being an upper riparian and many times tends to block or divert the water flow in summer season which subsequently creates drought and release more water in the season when not required, which creates floods in monsoon season. Furthermore, India has repeatedly threatened Pakistan to cut the water flow of the Indus river basin without even considering the international laws on cross border water sharing. India enjoys an obvious advantage of being an upper riparian. However, Pakistan’s government needs to approach international forum for redress since the projects which India is building will ultimately destroy Pakistan’s agriculture sector.

Undoubtedly, India is taking advantage of being an upper riparian and is thus trying to maintain its hegemony on lower riparian countries. The perceptions of hegemonic power results in rise of water security threat for lower riparian. India has been using water as a weapon against Pakistan, India’s strategy is to deliberately harm Pakistan economically and create serious scarcity of water in it. However, the competition of limited water resources for Pakistan can intensify the relations between both the countries that are already feeble and hostile, if India kept on taking advantage of being an upper riparian.