Najam Comments on Suspension of Indus Waters Treaty Amid India-Pakistan Tensions
Professor Adil Najam was quoted in an NPR report about tensions surrounding the Indus Waters Treaty following the most recent conflict between India and Pakistan. As a retaliatory measure, the Modi government has held the international treaty in abeyance. This development is first of its kind considering that the agreement has never been formally suspended before, effectively surviving more than sixty years of constant conflict and diplomacy-related stress amid the two nations.
India’s withdrawal from the treaty, temporary or otherwise, would detrimentally affect Pakistan as much of its arid land depends on Indus and its tributaries for agricultural produce. According to the report, the basin is estimated to irrigate 80% of Pakistan’s land, while agriculture in the country supports the livelihood of approximately two-thirds of the entire population.
“For Pakistan, it is existential,” said Najam. “The red line is there not because water is some mythical thing, but because Pakistan is essentially a dry country.”
The report further mentions that India may take some key decisions about the river without involving Pakistan. For example, it could retain and redistribute water within its domestic territory by using existing dams, build diversion structures or add infrastructure to the ongoing dam projects. Additionally, Reuters has reported that the Indian government is considering expanding a canal situated on Chenab river, which is allocated to Pakistan. As of now, rivers Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej come under Indian territory.
To read the complete NPR report, click here.
Adil Najam is the dean emeritus at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies and the professor of international relations and of earth and environment. An authority on climate action and South Asian politics, he has taught at MIT and Tufts University and is currently serving as the president of WWF International. He was a visiting fellow at the University of Oxford’s Wolfson College and was named the first De Janosi Fellow at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Austria. A prolific writer, Najam has authored more than 100 academic papers and published eight books including South Asia 2060: Envisioning Regional Futures (2013) and How Immigrants Impact their Homelands (2013). To know more about his work and accomplishments, visit his faculty profile.