{"id":177918,"date":"2025-06-28T11:03:18","date_gmt":"2025-06-28T06:03:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/?p=177918"},"modified":"2025-06-28T11:03:18","modified_gmt":"2025-06-28T06:03:18","slug":"indias-hollow-threat-to-weaponize-water","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kashmirinsight.com\/journal\/index.php\/2025\/06\/28\/indias-hollow-threat-to-weaponize-water\/","title":{"rendered":"India\u2019s hollow threat to weaponize water"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Humayun Aziz Sandeela<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-177919\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kashmirinsight.com\/journal\/cdn\/2025\/06\/Dam-382x220.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"382\" height=\"220\" \/>Water, the most vital source of life, is now being toyed with as a geopolitical weapon in South Asia. Amid ongoing hostilities, India has once again rattled its sabre by threatening to cut off or limit the water flow to Pakistan under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) \u2014 a hollow and reckless posture that violates not only binding international agreements but also established human rights and humanitarian norms.<\/p>\n<p>India\u2019s narrative of regional dominance is increasingly tied to coercion and intimidation, and weaponizing water\u2014an essential, non-negotiable human right\u2014is the latest tool in its playbook. But this approach is not only shortsighted and provocative; it is legally indefensible, technically implausible, and environmentally catastrophic.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Modi was first the butcher of Gujarat, then he became the butcher of Kashmir.<br \/>\nAnd now, with his threats regarding the Indus Waters Treaty, it seems that he intends to butcher the Indus Valley civilization as well. We will never let him do that.<\/p>\n<p>Bilawal Bhutto Zardari&#8217;s clear\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/r5oc0L6C8O\">pic.twitter.com\/r5oc0L6C8O<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Sumeta Afzal Syed (@SumetaSyed) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SumetaSyed\/status\/1938591934827700676?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 27, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The Indus Waters Treaty, signed in 1960 and brokered by the World Bank, remains one of the most resilient water-sharing agreements in history. It allocates the eastern rivers\u2014Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej\u2014to India, while Pakistan receives the waters of the western rivers\u2014Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab. India is permitted limited non-consumptive use of the western rivers for purposes like irrigation and hydropower generation, but is strictly prohibited from undertaking actions that reduce their flow to Pakistan. Any deviation would violate Articles III and IV of the treaty and potentially invoke Article IX, which mandates dispute resolution mechanisms through a Neutral Expert or the Permanent Court of Arbitration\u2014processes already underway over projects like Kishanganga and Ratle.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">\ud83d\udea8 The Court of Arbitration Reaffirms Jurisdiction in Indus Waters Dispute, Rejects India\u2019s Attempt to Suspend Treaty.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m deeply concerned by the growing international scrutiny over our actions under the Indus Waters Treaty.<\/p>\n<p>While national interest is paramount, ignoring\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/zyumFi3pkA\">pic.twitter.com\/zyumFi3pkA<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Tejasswi Prakash (@Tiju0Prakash) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Tiju0Prakash\/status\/1938647218862330154?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 27, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Despite its aggressive rhetoric, India lacks the actual capacity to unilaterally halt or divert Pakistan\u2019s share of water. A 2025 investigation by India Today\u2019s Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) team concluded that India would require at least 22 dams the size of Bhakra Nangal\u2014the largest on the eastern rivers\u2014to store the amount of water it seeks to control. Currently, the reservoirs on the western rivers can hold a mere 0.4% of the annual water flow. Even with all under-construction projects\u2014including Ratle, Pakal Dul, Kwar, and Kiru\u2014completed, the total storage capacity would rise to just 2%. This is far from sufficient to execute any meaningful water diversion policy against Pakistan.<\/p>\n<p>Moreover, India\u2019s attempts to increase control over western rivers face significant geographical and environmental hurdles. Experts, such as Himanshu Thakkar of the South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers, and People (SANDRP), warn that no viable sites exist for building large-scale storage facilities on the Jhelum and Indus rivers. Even the Chenab\u2014already overloaded with existing and planned dams\u2014poses a high-risk terrain, susceptible to landslides, seismic activity, and glacial lake outburst floods. \u201cWhat will we do with stored water in UTs already supported by several streams and rivers?\u201d Thakkar questioned, highlighting the futility of India\u2019s strategic water brinkmanship.<\/p>\n<p>India\u2019s threats also breach broader international legal frameworks. The UN Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses (1997) mandates equitable and reasonable utilization and prohibits harm to lower riparian states. Similarly, the 1977 Additional Protocols to the Geneva Conventions forbid targeting objects essential to civilian survival\u2014including water resources. Moreover, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and General Comment No. 15 by the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights recognize access to clean water as an inherent human right. India&#8217;s current posture, therefore, is not merely antagonistic but constitutes a direct challenge to international humanitarian norms.<\/p>\n<p>India\u2019s masquerade as a regional power is increasingly being exposed by actions that contradict its international image. Weaponizing water against Pakistan\u2014a lower riparian state\u2014damages India\u2019s credibility, alienates its neighbors, and raises serious concerns among multilateral organizations. This strategy not only undermines India\u2019s own legal standing but also compromises its aspirations for greater influence in bodies like the UN Security Council.<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, India\u2019s threats to disrupt water flow are more about political theater than plausible execution. The reality is that engineering constraints, legal obligations, and global scrutiny will prevent India from converting these threats into action. Water, after all, is a lifeline\u2014not a tool of coercion.<\/p>\n<p>In a significant recent development, the Permanent Court of Arbitration on June 27, reaffirmed its jurisdiction over the Indus Waters Treaty dispute, rejecting India\u2019s attempts to suspend the treaty&#8217;s operation. This decision reinforces the global legal consensus on upholding water-sharing agreements and serves as a stark reminder to India that international law cannot be sidestepped. While safeguarding national interests is legitimate, evading established legal forums undermines India\u2019s image as a responsible and rules-based power. Dialogue, not defiance, builds credibility.<\/p>\n<p>The international community must recognize that India\u2019s intimidation tactics, if unchecked, could dismantle decades of water cooperation and regional stability. It is imperative that water remains a shared resource governed by fairness, transparency, and peace\u2014not a weapon of geopolitical aggression.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Humayun Aziz Sandeela Water, the most vital source of life, is now being toyed with as a geopolitical weapon in South Asia. Amid ongoing hostilities, India has once again rattled its sabre by threatening to cut off or limit the water flow to Pakistan under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) \u2014 a hollow and reckless &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":177919,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-177918","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kashmirinsight.com\/journal\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/177918","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kashmirinsight.com\/journal\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kashmirinsight.com\/journal\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kashmirinsight.com\/journal\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kashmirinsight.com\/journal\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=177918"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.kashmirinsight.com\/journal\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/177918\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kashmirinsight.com\/journal\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/177919"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kashmirinsight.com\/journal\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=177918"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kashmirinsight.com\/journal\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=177918"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kashmirinsight.com\/journal\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=177918"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}