Signed in Pakistan's Karachi on 19 September 1960, the Indus Waters Treaty is a water-sharing agreement between India and Pakistan, which was mediated by the World Bank.
Published Apr 24, 2025 | 3:48 PM ⚊ Updated May 03, 2025 | 9:20 AM
Indus River. (Creative Commons)
Synopsis: The Union government said that it was keeping the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 with Pakistan in abeyance with immediate effect. It is a water-sharing agreement between India and Pakistan, which was mediated by the World Bank.
In an act of retaliation following the terrorist attack in Jammu & Kashmir’s Pahalgam, the Union government said on Wednesday, 23 April, that it was keeping the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 in abeyance with immediate effect.
The decision was taken after a meeting of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the Cabinet Committee on Security (SSC) — the highest decision-making body of the country on national security.
The Union government believes Pakistan was behind the terrorist attack that claimed at least 26 lives and said the treaty will be kept in abeyance until the neighbouring nation “credibly and irreversibly” denounces its support for cross-border terrorism.
Experts noted that it is a bilateral treaty based on the goodwill of the two nations and there are no legal hindrances for India to suspend the agreement.
Speaking to South First, Professor (Dr) Bidanda Chengappa, Member Secretary, Institute of Contemporary Studies Bengaluru, pointed out that stopping the water flow to Pakistan might create storage issues in India.
He also noted that 60 percent of water comes from Tibet, and what China does on India’s announcement needs to be seen and added that China might not engage in this issue due to its ongoing trade issues with the US.
Signed in Pakistan’s Karachi on 19 September 1960, the Indus Waters Treaty is a water-sharing agreement between India and Pakistan, which was mediated by the World Bank.
The treaty determined the rights of both nations in using the water through the Indus River system, consisting of the Beas, Ravi, Sutlej, Indus, Chenab and Jhelum.
According to the treaty, signed by the then-Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and the then-Pakistani President and Field Marshal Ayub Khan, the control of the waters of the western rivers — the Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab — lies with Pakistan and those of the eastern rivers — the Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej — with India.
However, the treaty allows India to use the water of western rivers for limited irrigation use and unlimited non-consumptive uses such as power generation, navigation, floating of property, fish culture, etc. According to the Indus Water Treaty, India has the right to about 30 percent water of the river system while Pakistan has the remaining 70 percent.
Following the partition of British India in 1947, the water system in the Indus River system was bifurcated, with the headworks in India and the canals running through Pakistan.
During the first year after the partition, a short-term Standstill Agreement of 1947 was signed, which expired on 1 April 1948.
While India withheld water from canals that flowed into Pakistan, the Inter-Dominion Accord of 4 May 1948 required India to provide water to the Pakistani parts of the basin in return for annual payments. Further talks were expected to take place in hopes of reaching a permanent solution, but negotiations soon came to a standstill, with neither side willing to compromise.
In 1951, former head of both the Tennessee Valley Authority and the US Atomic Energy Commission, David Lilienthal, visited the region to research articles that he was to write for Collier’s magazine.
He suggested that the nations work toward an agreement to jointly develop and administer the Indus River system, possibly with advice and financing from the World Bank, and the then-World Bank president Eugene Black agreed.
Engineers from India and Pakistan formed a working group, with engineers from the World Bank offering advice. In 1954, the World Bank submitted a proposal for a solution. However, the treaty was officially agreed upon by both nations only after six years of talks, in 1960.
This is the first time that India has suspended the treaty, even though it had issued a threat to do so in 2019 following the Pulwama attack, when Modi reportedly told the CCS that “blood and water can’t flow together”.
Meanwhile, Dr Manoharan N, Professor & Director, Centre for East Asian Studies, Department of International Studies in Christ University Bengaluru, said told South First that the suspension may not unfold exactly as said by the Indian government.
He said the Indus Water Treaty was signed with the World Bank as a mediator and that it is not part of the agreement.
“India is an upper riparian state and Pakistan a lower riparian state. When it comes to arm-twisting, countries often look for leverage. Ideally, they shouldn’t do this, because water is a serious human security issue. But India is so upset and said that we are going to stop this,” he said.
“Ideally, the World Bank would have initiated talks, but it is not clear whether it would, since it is going through its own crises — Trump’s policies and other issues. Nevertheless, they will speak with both prime ministers, especially the Indian Prime Minister. Legally, India is not bound to continue the agreement. This is a mutual agreement brokered by the World Bank.
However, on the ground, things may not unfold exactly as stated by the government. Borders may be closed, but not for long — we’ve done that before. Trade is already not happening the way it used to,” said Dr Manoharan.
Meanwhile, Chengappa pointed out that even though it is the government that formulates the policies, it would be the border security forces that are tasked with the implementation. He noted that that the implementation on the ground depends on several factors.
He further said that one of the primary reasons Pakistan lays claim to Kashmir is the presence of the Indus River system, which is the lifeline for most areas of the country. He speculated that if the current suspension is implemented on the ground, it could transform the ongoing cold war-like situation between India and Pakistan into a conflict.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil with inputs from Nolan Patrick Pinto,)
