Flexing riparian muscles: New Delhi should weigh its options carefully

Under the IWT, Pakistan was allocated control of 80 per cent of waters of three western rivers - the Indus, which originates in Tibet, and its tributaries Chenab and Jhelum, which originate in India

India’s suspension of the 65-year-old Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) following suspected Pakistan-sponsored terrorist attacks on tourists in Pahalgam on April 22 has altered the dynamics of the already stressed relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. The treaty is considered a landmark transboundary water-sharing agreement in Asia, successfully maintaining water cooperation despite wars, cross-border terrorism, and diplomatic tensions. The long- and short-term geopolitical implications of this suspension flow from India’s position as an upper riparian country when it comes to the Indus and its tributaries in the west, and as a lower riparian one in the Northeast, which is watered by