Pakistan signals first-ever willingness to rework Indus Waters Treaty

In a first since the signing of the historic Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in 1960, Pakistan has formally indicated its readiness to discuss India’s longstanding objections to specific provisions of the agreement — a move seen as both significant and reactive in the wake of India’s decision to suspend the treaty following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.

According to top sources, Pakistan’s Water Resources Secretary Syed Ali Murtaza has responded to a formal communique from India, conveying Islamabad’s willingness to engage on the treaty’s disputed terms. The gesture, though framed in legal caution — with Murtaza reportedly questioning the validity of suspension, citing the treaty’s lack of an exit clause — marks a major departure from Pakistan’s earlier refusals to amend or review the pact.

The breakthrough comes after India placed the treaty in abeyance with immediate effect — a decision conveyed by Water Resources Secretary Debashree Mukherjee in a letter dated April 24, two days after the terror strike that killed Indian security personnel in Jammu & Kashmir’s Pahalgam.

“The obligation to honour a treaty in good faith is fundamental. Instead, what we’ve seen is sustained cross-border terrorism,” Mukherjee wrote, citing Pakistan’s failure to enter into negotiations as per treaty provisions. “This constitutes a breach.”

India had earlier issued two formal notices — in January 2023 and September 2024 — requesting a review and modification of the treaty, both of which went unanswered by Islamabad.

However, following Operation Sindoor, India’s targeted counter-offensive on terror hubs in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, and the subsequent pause in hostilities on May 10, Islamabad appears to have recalibrated its diplomatic posture.

Despite the ceasefire, New Delhi has made it clear that all non-military coercive measures will continue, chief among them the suspension of the IWT. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal reiterated this Tuesday, saying:

“The treaty was concluded in the spirit of goodwill. But goodwill cannot survive while terror flows across borders. Until Pakistan verifiably ends its support for terrorism, the treaty remains suspended.”

This position mirrors Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s powerful message following Operation Sindoor: “Water and blood cannot flow together.”

India is expected to push for bilateral-only talks, ruling out mediation or involvement of the World Bank, which has historically acted as a broker in treaty-related disputes. New Delhi is also keen to restructure the dispute-resolution mechanism — a move prompted by confusion over parallel arbitration and neutral expert routes, as seen during disagreements over the Kishanganga and Ratle hydroelectric projects.

The core of the Indus Waters Treaty, brokered by the World Bank and signed in Karachi in 1960 after nearly a decade of talks, divides six rivers between the two nations: India gets full use of the Eastern Rivers — Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi — while Pakistan controls the Western Rivers — Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab.

Now, for the first time since that pact, the water-sharing arrangement stands at the cusp of a potential overhaul — with geopolitics, climate shifts, and terrorism rewriting the hydrological script of South Asia.