Indus Water Treaty suspended: It survived these 3 India-Pakistan wars

The treaty was signed on September 19, 1960, when Jawaharlal Nehru was Prime Minister of India.

India responded to the J&K terror attack, that killed 26 by suspending the Indus Water Treaty. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said "The Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 will be held in abeyance with immediate effect, until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism."

The IWT had been signed by then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and his then counterpart, President Ayub Khan, on September 19, 1960. The treaty granted control over the three “eastern rivers” of the Indus River System – Beas, Ravi, and Sutlej – to India, while control over the three “western rivers” – Indus, Chenab, and Jhelum – had been given to Pakistan.

This treaty survived three wars, but has now been indefinitely suspended.

1965 India-Pakistan war

This is also known as the second India-Pakistan war, and took place from August 1965 to September 1965. The conflict began after the failure of Operation Gibraltar, which was Pakistan's attempt to infiltrate forces into Jammu and Kashmir for insurgency against India.

Lal Bahadur Shastri was Prime Minister at the time.

1971 India-Pakistan war

This war took place during the Bangladesh Liberation War in East Pakistan from December 3, 1971 until Pakistan capitulated in Dhaka on December 15, 1971.

Indira Gandhi was PM at the time.

1999 Kargil war

This was fought between May and July 1999, along the LoC and in Ladakh's Kargil. It was triggered by Pakistani troops, disguised as Kashmiri militants, infiltrating the LoC.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee was Prime Minister then.

Despite outright conflicts, the IWT was thus far not suspended, outlining its importance.

Why the Indus Water Treaty is vital to Pakistan

While India gets 20 per cent water from the treaty, Pakistan gets 80 per cent. For our neighbours, therefore, this is not just vital, it is existential.

Business Today reports 80 per cent of Pakistan's cultivable land relies on water from the Indus system and 93 per cent of this water is used for irrigation, forming the agricultural backbone.

The Indus water system supports over 237 million people.

Karachi, Lahore, Multan -- major urban areas, also draw water directly from this system. Tarbela and Mangla hydropower plants also rely on this for uninterrupted functioning.

As per the publication, the Indus water system alone contributes almost 25 per cent to Pakistan's GDP.

While India's move marks a sharp escalation, New Delhi had sent two notices to Islamabad seeking review and modification of the IWT – first in January 2023, and then again in August 2024.

(With DHNS inputs)