Beyond Water Allocation: Rethinking the Indus Waters Treaty at a Critical Juncture
This Commentary advances three interconnected claims. First, it establishes that the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) has reached a critical juncture shaped by the convergence of ecological stress, escalating security tensions, and India’s decision to hold the Treaty in abeyance. Second, it traces India’s gradual shift from decades of procedural compliance and institutional engagement to a more assertive posture seeking revision of the Treaty’s operational constraints. Third, it demonstrates, through the interpretative lenses of David Gilmartin, Daniel Haines, and Uttam Kumar Sinha, that this moment is not an abrupt departure from the Treaty’s past but historically conditioned by the long-standing entanglement of water, territory, sovereignty, and political authority in the Indus Basin.
- Minakshi Koch |
- January-February 2026 |
