Dividing shared waters: Exploring the legal dimensions of the India-Pakistan water conflict
Author(s): Dr. Rameez Mohd Bhat
Abstract: Water is a basic condition for existence of life on earth. Scarcity of fresh water is one of the major sources of conflict all over the world because of the rise in global water demands. In South Asia by dint of its diversified topography, the rivers are not restricted to a particular country but flow across the countries transcending national boundaries, hence creating a problem over water sharing and became the root cause of social, economic and political conflicts among the nations of the region. In order to solve these conflicts and disputes some important water sharing arrangement treaties have been signed among the nations in the region. The most important water sharing arrangement treaty in the South Asia in this regard is the Indus Water Treaty between India and Pakistan, which was signed in 1960. This treaty has been internationally heralded as a success story and is often cited as an instance of successful and peaceful resolution of water dispute. This treaty has survived three wars and numerous border clashes. More recently, however, despite this history of cooperation, the IWT has been facing mounting criticism, along with calls to revoke, revise, or abandon the accord. The study is an attempt to analyse the political spectrums that are created by the IWT, which makes a significant impact on the lives of millions of people who live in both co-riparian states; and to examine the mechanism, conflicts and cooperation of the Indus Water Treaty. Is the Indus Water Treaty as relevant today as it was in 1960 or is it time to revisit the provisions of the treaty in light of the issues which have cropped up since 1960? What should be the future course on observance of the treaty? These are some of the questions sought to be answered via this paper.
Dr. Rameez Mohd Bhat. Dividing shared waters: Exploring the legal dimensions of the India-Pakistan water conflict. Int J Political Sci Governance 2021;3(1):95-101. DOI: 10.33545/26646021.2021.v3.i1b.139