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#IndusWaterTreaty cant be terminated or suspended unilaterally because it has inbuilt safeguards, such as clarity on water allocation, institutional arrangements, technical discipline, dispute settlement mechanisms, and most importantly its Article XII which says, “The treaty can be modified or terminated only through a duly ratified treaty between the two governments. There cannot be unilateral termination or modification, nor unilateral suspension”. Precedent also favours procedure over unilateral action. In the Gabcikovo-Nagymaros dispute (Hungary-Slovakia), Lake Lanoux arbitration (France Spain), Egypt-Sudan-Ethiopia GERD dispute, Bangladesh-India Ganges/Farakka issue etc, there is no legal precedent for a state placing a water treaty in abeyance by announcement. In all relevant precedents, courts protect treaty procedure, and diplomatic forums push parties back to negotiation. Having said it, Pakistan should adopt a multifaceted response. It should keep the Permanent Indus Commission channel alive. It should prepare a quarterly Indus Water Dossier, including #Pakistan’s requests, project objections, real-time flows at headworks, crop risks by command area, hydropower effects, groundwater stress and required releases below Kotri. Whereas the domestic response should be to use the available water optimally and prudently. We must reduce canal losses, regulate groundwater, improve watercourses, update crop zoning and protect environmental flows.
My piece on IWT for your reading pleasure.
thenews.pk/print/1425197-…
My piece on IWT for your reading pleasure.
thenews.pk/print/1425197-…
www.thenews.pk You can’t pause the IWT The Indus Waters Treaty remained in force over the years – despite the wars of 1965, 1971 and Kargil. The treaty survived military mobilisations, diplomatic ruptures and suspended dialogue.... 
