That India is upping the ante against Pakistan is a fact that has found its best expression from its opposition to the supplemental award by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague by declaring that New Delhi does not recognize the court or its decisions.
The PCA had issued an “Award on Issues of General Interpretation of the IWT” in the Indus Waters Case, stating that India must let flow the waters of the western rivers for Pakistan’s “unrestricted use”.
India, in my view, must not lose sight of the fact that Pakistan has already made its position in relation to India’s decision of placing the Treaty in abeyance clear by declaring that any attempt to stop water flows into Pakistan would be considered an act of war. The Pakistan’s government’s resolve is quite clear.
The prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, for example, has issued a stern warning to India by stating, among other things, that New Delhi cannot “snatch even one drop of water belonging to Pakistan”. It is, therefore, about time the world community took steps aimed at reining in India in the larger interest of peace in the region and beyond without any further loss of time.
Shadab Samdani (Lahore)
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Comments
Comments are closed for this article.