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, said experts in a seminar here Thursday.
The experts emphasised that safeguarding the country’s water interests required action beyond legal proceedings, including international advocacy, diplomatic engagement, reduced water wastage and improved coordination among relevant institutions.
The seminar, titled “Beyond The Hague: Securing Pakistan’s Water Rights and Water Security”, was organised by the Institute of Policy Studies whose vice chairman Ambassador 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.
IPS chairman Khalid Rahman said the challenge of the IWT in abeyance couldn’t be addressed in isolation, independent of political goodwill from India. He stressed that Pakistan should pursue both immediate measures and a broader long-term vision for securing its water interests.
Former deputy executive director of UN Environment Programme Shafqat Kakakhel described the IWT 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.
Emphasising the need for a measured response, Kakakhel urged Pakistan to continue pursuing cooperation and diplomacy while avoiding provocations.
He also said the US and the World Bank, as parties involved in establishing the treaty framework, should play an active role in facilitating its resumption.
Assistant professor at the NUST Centre for International Peace and Stability Dr. Afsah Qazi said 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.
Member of the UNESCO Chair on Knowledge Systems for Integrated Water Resources Management, COMSATS, Dr. Summera Khan emphasised that strengthening coordination among relevant institutions is important for ensuring that knowledge and evidence inform practical measures to address Pakistan’s water-security challenges.
