‘India must not turn off the taps of humanity’

Islamabad:As tensions rise in the aftermath of the Pahalgam killings, the Jammu and Kashmir Council for Human Rights (JKCHR) has issued a powerful statement urging India not to weaponise the region’s most precious resource-water. In a world already grappling with climate stress, the potential fallout of politicizing water could be catastrophic, both morally and diplomatically, says a press release.

The JKCHR, led by its President Dr. Syed Nazir Gilani, has warned that any move by India to reconsider or revoke the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in retaliation would not only undermine international law but also worsen humanitarian suffering in the already volatile Kashmir region.

Signed in 1960 under the aegis of the World Bank, the IWT has survived wars, border skirmishes, and diplomatic breakdowns. Yet, political calls within India to “rethink” the treaty now threaten to undo a rare success in bilateral cooperation. JKCHR asserts that unilateral action to weaken the treaty would constitute an act of aggression under UN General Assembly Resolution 3314 (1974), a serious breach of international norms.

What makes the debate even more alarming is the geographical origin of these rivers. “The rivers governed by the IWT originate in Jammu and Kashmir-a territory recognized by the UN as disputed,” Dr. Gilani noted. He warned that exploiting these waters would amount to collective punishment of civilians, a violation of international trust law, and a breach of humanitarian principles.

Weaponising water could trigger ripples far beyond South Asia. India, as an upstream state to Nepal and Bangladesh, risks setting a precedent that could return to haunt its own strategic interests. In the climate-vulnerable Global South, where cross-border rivers are lifelines, such a shift would send shockwaves through diplomatic corridors.

Moreover, India’s recent deepening of ties with the Arab and Islamic world could be jeopardized. “The perception of water being used against Muslim-majority Pakistan and Kashmiris would provoke backlash,” warned JKCHR, stressing that water access is a basic human right.

Contrary to political calculus, JKCHR highlights that any disruption of water flows would primarily harm the Kashmiri population on both sides of the Line of Control. The consequences would be dire as it could lead to agricultural collapse, with irrigation systems drying up, power outages, as hydropower generation is impaired, water scarcity, jeopardizing public health which would aggravate an already fragile humanitarian situation.

The JKCHR reminded all stakeholders that India has significantly benefited from the IWT-gaining unfettered control over the eastern rivers and executing multiple hydropower projects on the western rivers under treaty compliance. Any breach now would not only invite international arbitration but also damage India’s credibility as a rules-based regional power.

Dr. Gilani invoked the spirit of the November 2000 joint initiative titled “The Beginning of the Future”, urging India and Pakistan to return to the dialogue table and adopt a trusteeship approach underpinned by international law and environmental stewardship.

“The tragedy of Pahalgam cannot justify discarding a 64-year-old accord that has preserved regional peace in one of the world’s most volatile zones,” JKCHR concluded.In an era where environmental sustainability and peace are increasingly intertwined, JKCHR’s call serves as a timely reminder: water must remain a source of life, not leverage.