Preventing an India-Pakistan Water War

Jul 30, 2025 | Samaan Lateef
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India’s decision to walk away from the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) with Pakistan marks an unprecedented and consequential shift in one of South Asia’s few enduring frameworks for transboundary cooperation. For decades, the treaty was one of the few mechanisms that India and Pakistan had that ensured a modicum of cooperation and communication, even during the worst of times for bilateral relations. It endured despite wars, serious cross-border crises, and prolonged diplomatic freezes. Now it faces a potential suspension, which carries risks that extend beyond bilateral water management and into the domain of regional security. The treaty’s failure could lead to an all-out war between India and Pakistan.