TRANSBOUNDARY WATER MANAGEMENT IN SOUTH ASIA: A STUDY OF COOPERATION, CONFLICT, AND INSTITUTIONAL RESILIENCE IN THE INDUS BASIN (INDIA–PAKISTAN)
Abstract
The 1960 Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) governed water sharing between India and Pakistan for over six decades and was widely regarded as a rare success in transboundary water diplomacy. On 23 April 2025, India placed the treaty “in abeyance” following a terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, suspending data-sharing, Permanent Indus Commission meetings, and participation in dispute-resolution mechanisms. Pakistan has disputed the legality of this unilateral move, and the two states remain in an unresolved legal and diplomatic standoff as of mid-2026. This proposal outlines a qualitative, single-case study examining how the suspension has affected the treaty's institutional mechanisms, how each state constructs its legal and political justification, and how climate stress and groundwater depletion reshape the incentives for cooperation. Using process tracing and a structured comparison with other transboundary basins, the study aims to assess which institutional design features proved resilient or fragile under political strain, and to outline plausible governance pathways for the basin over the next decade. The research is intended to contribute to hydro-political and international-relations scholarship, and to offer a policy-relevant evidence base for regional and international stakeholders.
References
The following is a starting point in APA style; it should be substantially expanded through further literature search as the research progresses.
Indus Waters Treaty (1960), India–Pakistan, with Annexures, 19 September 1960 (World Bank as guarantor).
Salman, M. A. S. (2008). The Baglihar difference and its resolution process – A triumph for the Indus Waters Treaty? Water Policy, 10(2), 105–117.
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Zawahri, N. A., & Michel, D. (2020). Assessing the Indus Waters Treaty from a comparative perspective. Water International, 43(5), 696–712.
Permanent Court of Arbitration. (2025–2026). In the Matter of the Indus Waters Treaty 1960 (Pakistan v. India), PCA Case No. 2023-01, and Neutral Expert Proceedings, PCA Case No. 2023-14 – case materials and awards.
United Nations. (1997). Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses.
Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties. (1969).
Stimson Center, Observer Research Foundation, and Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad – policy reports and commentary on the 2025–26 suspension (specific titles to be added as sourced).
Reputable news reporting (e.g., Reuters, Dawn, The Hindu, Al Jazeera) on the abeyance, arbitration awards, and diplomatic responses, 2025–2026 (to be updated continuously given the evolving situation).
