The future of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) depends squarely on Pakistan abandoning cross-border terrorism, building genuine trust, and engaging constructively with India, according to a report by The Global Kashmir. The assessment comes after India placed the IWT in abeyance following the Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 civilians were killed by Pakistan-backed militants.

Six Decades of Indian Compliance, Repeated Pakistani Provocations

The report underscores that the IWT, signed in 1960 between India and Pakistan with the World Bank as facilitator, has long been regarded as one of the world's most resilient water-sharing frameworks. According to the report, India honoured the treaty 'in both letter and spirit' for over six decades — through wars, diplomatic ruptures, and repeated cross-border attacks — while Pakistan responded with hostility rather than reciprocal goodwill.

'Despite repeated wars, cross-border terrorism, and prolonged diplomatic hostility initiated by Pakistan, India continued to honour the treaty in both letter and spirit,' the report stated. It added that changing security realities and Pakistan's persistent sponsorship of terrorism have 'fundamentally altered the strategic context in which the treaty operates.'

The Water Concessions India Made

The report highlights that the IWT granted Pakistan disproportionately generous terms. Although the Indus river system originates largely within territories under India's control, the agreement allocated Pakistan rights over the three western rivers — the Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab — which together account for nearly 80 per cent of the basin's total water flow.

India, by contrast, retained unrestricted rights only over the eastern rivers — the Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej — while accepting significant restrictions on its use of the western rivers. Strategic experts, according to the report, have long argued that India made substantial compromises in the interest of regional stability.

A Pattern of Terror That Eroded Trust

The report draws a direct line between Pakistan-linked terrorism and the collapse of bilateral trust. It cites the 2001 Parliament attack, the 2008 Mumbai attacks, Uri in 2016, Pulwama in 2019, and the Pahalgam attack as a sustained pattern of cross-border violence linked to Pakistan-based organisations. 'These actions have severely eroded trust and naturally prompted India to reassess the broader framework of bilateral engagement,' the report noted.

Successive Pakistani governments and sections of its security establishment, the report argues, chose to support terror groups rather than work toward lasting peace — effectively undermining the cooperative spirit the treaty was built upon.

Pakistan's Legal Manoeuvres on Hydroelectric Projects

Beyond terrorism, the report flags Pakistan's repeated attempts to internationalise disputes over Indian hydroelectric infrastructure. Projects such as Kishanganga and Ratle have faced prolonged Pakistani objections, even though India maintains they are run-of-the-river schemes explicitly permitted under the IWT.

Independent experts, the report observes, have increasingly characterised Pakistan's use of legal and procedural mechanisms as a strategy to delay India's legitimate infrastructure development rather than engage through technical dialogue. 'Durable agreements endure not merely because they are legally binding but because both sides remain committed to maintaining peaceful relations,' the report concluded.

What Comes Next

With the IWT currently in abeyance, the path to its revival, according to the report, runs through verifiable Pakistani action — not diplomatic assurances. Whether Islamabad can demonstrate a credible break from state-sponsored terrorism will determine whether one of South Asia's most consequential bilateral frameworks can be restored.