Tensions have arisen due to India's upstream projects, jeopardizing the Indus Waters Treaty’s stability. India's construction of the Shahpur Kandi barrage on the Ravi River has halted water flow to Pakistan, raising concerns of water terrorism.

The Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) was signed on September 19, 1960, with Ayub Khan of Pakistan, Jawaharlal Nehru of India, and the Chief of the World Bank acting as signatories. This treaty definitively established and delimited the rights and obligations of both countries concerning the use of the waters of the Indus River System. According to the treaty, India gained control over the three Eastern Rivers: Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej, while Pakistan was given control over the Western Rivers: Indus, Chenab, and Jhelum. The Indus Commission, established by the United Nations (UN), serves to resolve any disputes that may arise, with provisions for arbitration to facilitate amicable settlement. Additionally, the treaty permits India to utilize water from the western rivers for domestic, non-consumptive purposes such as storage, irrigation, and electricity generation. India is allocated 20 percent of the water from the Indus River System, with the remaining 80 percent allocated to Pakistan.

India has repeatedly engaged in what can be termed as water terrorism against Pakistan, and with this latest project, it further exacerbates the situation by blocking water flow towards Pakistan.

For over sixty-five years, the IWT has endured, but recently, the upstream infrastructure projects initiated by India have ignited tension. Additionally, the worsening effects of climate change on the Himalayan glaciers could increase the likelihood of disasters and threaten the long-term water security of communities. These factors all have implications for future interstate cooperation and regional developments. Glaciers and tributaries originating in the high mountains of the Ngari Prefecture in western Tibet, the Himalayas, Hindu Kush in Afghanistan, and the Karakoram feed the extensive Indus River system. Its floodplain, where most of Pakistan’s population lives, is one of the largest agricultural regions in Asia. Around 90 percent of Pakistan's food and 65 percent of its employment depend on farming and animal husbandry, which are sustained by the Indus.
Over the past two decades, Pakistan has made multiple attempts to prevent India from building dams on both the Chenab and the Neelum Rivers. The Neelum is a tributary of the Jhelum River, and Pakistan has opposed both projects on the grounds that they contravene the IWT signed by the two countries in 1960. In a damaging and dangerous move, India has now halted the flow of the Ravi River to Pakistan, an action tantamount to water terrorism.
The Shahpurkandi barrage is situated on the borders of Indian Punjab and Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). India has announced the completion of the Shahpurkandi Barrage on the Ravi River, halting the water flow to Pakistan and indicating a strategic shift in water management. India has allocated 1150 cusecs of water from Pakistan's share, which will now benefit the region of IIOJK, specifically 3200 hectares of land in Kathua and Samba districts. India has repeatedly engaged in what can be termed as water terrorism against Pakistan, and with this latest project, it further exacerbates the situation by blocking water flow towards Pakistan. India has already constructed numerous dams such as the Bhakra Dam on the Sutlej, Pong and Pandoh Dam on the Beas, and Thein (Ranjitsagar) on the Ravi.
The latest violation of the IWT is the construction of the Shahpurkandi barrage on the Ravi River in the Pathankot district, downstream from the existing Ranjit Sagar Dam. The water released by the Ranjit Sagar Dam is utilized for power generation in Punjab and IIOJK. This project, completed by the irrigation department of the Government of Indian Punjab, comprises a 55.5-meter-high concrete gravity dam, a 7.70 km long hydel channel, two head regulators, and two powerhouses, with a total capacity of 206 megawatts (MW).
Former Indian Prime Minister, P. V. Narasima Rao, laid the foundation of the Shahpurkandi Project in 1995. However, disputes between the governments of IIOJK and Punjab led to delays and the project’s suspension for over four years. In 2006, the current Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, in clear violation of the IWT, pledged to ensure the utilization of waters from the Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi rivers for India. He falsely claimed these waters for India and denied Pakistan's share. Modi established a task force to ensure that every drop of water from these rivers is provided to Indian Punjab and IIOJK.
After the completion of the Shahpurkandi Barrage, the natural resources of the River Ravi will be preserved for India, which were previously flowing to Pakistan. Now, all natural resources will flow to IIOJK. With the flow of water to Pakistan stopped from the River Ravi, IIOJK will be allocated a water source abundantly, receiving 1150 cusecs of water, which was previously destined for Pakistan. This project will now irrigate thousands of acres of farmland in IIOJK.
Addressing the UN Security Council, Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Munir Akram, stated that Pakistan aims to reinvigorate the Indus River basin, which provides food security to over 225 million people. Pakistan has called for strict implementation of the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty to address the looming water crisis. To this end, Pakistan has launched multi-dimensional Living Indus project.

The writer is an English Language and World History teacher, currently serving as the Head of the English Department at Headstart School. Furthermore, he works as a teacher and trainer for GRE and SAT at the United States Educational Foundation in Islamabad.
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