After the tragic terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam that claimed 26 lives, India decided to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) with Pakistan. This move came as part of India’s firm stance that trade, water, and talks cannot happen alongside terrorism. Despite this, Pakistan has written four letters to India, urging it to reconsider and reinstate the treaty. These letters, sent by Pakistan’s Ministry of Water Resources to India’s Jal Shakti Ministry and later forwarded to the Ministry of External Affairs, reflect a growing sense of urgency and desperation from Pakistan.
Pakistan is currently facing a severe water crisis. Senator Syed Ali Zafar recently said, “If we don’t resolve this now, we’ll die of hunger.” Nearly 90% of Pakistan’s crops depend on the Indus River, along with its people and power projects.
India, however, maintains that Pakistan has repeatedly violated the spirit of the 1960 treaty by supporting cross-border terrorism and blocking key updates to water infrastructure. At the UN, India’s representative P Harish pointed out that while India has shown patience and goodwill for years, Pakistan’s actions—including three wars and thousands of terror attacks—have made it difficult to continue under the same terms.
India had tried multiple times over the past two years to discuss much-needed updates to the treaty, but Pakistan refused. Now, with climate change, rising energy demands, and growing population pressures, India believes it’s time for a serious rethink.
