South Asia cannot realise its true potential without lasting peace, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said, warning against weaponising water for political purposes. Addressing the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s (SCO) Council of Heads of State Summit in Bishkek, the prime minister rightly described water as the lifeblood of the region, sustaining millions of lives and nourishing its land. Water, he stressed, must never be weaponised or used as an instrument of coercion orexploited for political leverage. The warning comes at a critical time. The region is already facing growing geopolitical tensions and Pakistan has consistently maintained that conflicts must be resolved peacefully and in accordance with international law. Yet India’s actions over the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) threaten to further destabilise an already fragile relationship.
India unilaterally suspended the IWT last year following the Pahalgam attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). Pakistan rejected New Delhi’s high-handedness, but India has continued to act as South Asia’s bully. The latest development, however, has provided Pakistan with a major boost in its dispute over the one-sided suspension of the treaty. On Monday, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ordered India to suspend work on hydro projects and uphold the IWT. The court examined all potential grounds on which India could take such action, including those cited in India’s own public statements, and unanimously found that none could justify suspension or termination of the agreement. The court made clear that the treaty remains fully in force because India has no justification for ending or suspending it. This is not the first time The Hague has issued a ruling upholding the IWT. India has rejected such rulings in the past, including the jurisdiction of the Court of Arbitration itself. But repeated rejection of international legal processes does not make India’s position more legitimate. It instead raises serious questions about its commitment to international law and the cooperative framework that has allowed the two countries to manage their shared water resources.
The essence of the IWT was cooperation between India and Pakistan to resolve their water dispute. When one party abandons that spirit, there is little the other can do except pursue every available legal and diplomatic avenue. The consequences of India’s actions go far beyond bilateral politics. International experts have warned that New Delhi’s reckless conduct risks triggering a large-scale humanitarian crisis. Millions of Pakistanis depend on the rivers for agriculture, water, sanitation and healthy ecosystems. Their rights to work, livelihood, water, food and an adequate standard of living are consequently being undermined by the unilateral suspension of the treaty. Regional experts believe New Delhi wants Islamabad to react to its belligerence. Pakistan, however, has refused to take the bait, instead raising the issue at international forums and before the Court of Arbitration. The international community must now take India’s conduct seriously. Water cannot be turned into a weapon of coercion, and international treaties cannot be discarded according to political convenience. Other countries must press India to abandon its bullying and unlawful tactics before they contribute to an escalation that could have devastating consequences for peace and stability in South Asia.
