'Bearing the burden for 65 years without any benefits': Brahma Chellaney on suspension of Indus Waters Treaty after Pahalgam

Strategic affairs expert Brahma Chellaney recently took to X (formerly Twitter) to share his take on the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) with Pakistan. 

His take came after the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) suspended the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) following the Pahalgam attack that claimed the lives of 26 civilians. 

Chellaney said that India has been bearing the burden of the IWT for 65 years without any benefits to itself.

"India has been bearing the burdens of the Indus Waters Treaty for 65 years without any benefits accruing to it from what remains the world's most generous water-sharing pact. Now, it decided to hold the bilateral treaty in abeyance until Pakistan ends its cross-border terrorism," he said in his post. 

The Indus Waters Treaty was signed between India and Pakistan in 1960 and brokered by the World Bank. As per this treaty, the eastern rivers of the Indus River System -- Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej -- are allocated to India. 

The western rivers -- Jhelum and Chenab -- have been allocated to Pakistan. While India received rights over 20 per cent of the system's water -- around 41 billion cubic metres annually, Pakistan received 80 per cent or 99 billion cubic metres.

The suspension of IWT is devastating for Pakistan since it relies on the Indus river and its tributaries for around 80 per cent of its irrigated agriculture. Agriculture contributes roughly 21 per cent to Pakistan's GDP and supports 45 per cent of the country's workforce. 

The suspension of the treaty could halt the flow of 39 billion cubic metres of water annually from India to Pakistan, in turn, disrupting the country's agriculture-based industries such as textiles, sugar, and rice milling. 

It could also lead to water shortage across parts of Pakistan since major urban centres (Karachi, Lahore, and Multan) draw their water directly from these rivers. Food production could collapse and power generation would be stopped.