By Muhammad Mohsin Iqbal
In the shifting currents of international affairs, Pakistan has emerged as a beacon of mediation and restraint, a metaphor for peace in a world often fractured by discord. Where once global perceptions painted the nation in hues of suspicion and instability, today a profound transformation commands respect from capitals across continents. The United States, the nations of Europe, the Gulf states, Russia, and China alike now regard Pakistan as a trusted partner, their interests converging in recognition of its diplomatic maturity and strategic significance. This elevated standing found vivid expression when Pakistan stepped forward to mediate between the United States and Iran, demonstrating a capacity for bridge-building that few could have anticipated.
The achievement was not merely tactical but symbolic, affirming Pakistan’s evolution into a responsible actor on the global stage. Allies that once viewed the country with guarded caution now extend cooperation, drawn by its stability, its growing influence, and its willingness to foster dialogue amid tension. Yet this era of heightened esteem has not shielded Pakistan from persistent challenges closer to home. In May 2025, the nation delivered a measured yet resolute response to Indian aggression, a necessary assertion of sovereignty that restored balance along a historically volatile frontier. Rather than accept the verdict of that encounter, India has since pursued a campaign of indirect hostilities, orchestrating proxy disturbances in various parts of Pakistan.
Pakistani authorities have monitored these machinations with vigilance and replied with proportionate firmness, preserving internal security without descending into needless escalation. More insidious still has been India’s campaign of water aggression, a systematic violation of the Indus Waters Treaty that threatens the very lifeblood of Pakistan’s agriculture and the sustenance of its people. Signed in 1960 under the good offices of the World Bank, the treaty stands as a landmark of reasoned compromise. It allocates the three western rivers—the Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab—to Pakistan for unrestricted use, while permitting India limited non-consumptive rights, chiefly for run-of-the-river hydroelectric projects that must not materially alter the natural flow or timing of waters reaching downstream.
The eastern rivers, by contrast, fall to India. This division was intended to secure Pakistan’s agricultural heartland, which depends profoundly on the western rivers for irrigation across vast tracts of Punjab and Sindh. India, however, has pressed against these boundaries. It has constructed and advanced projects such as the Kishanganga hydroelectric plant on the Jhelum River system—which diverts waters through tunnels, reducing flows into Pakistani territory and affecting downstream power generation and irrigation. Similarly, the Ratle project on the Chenab has raised grave concerns over pondage levels, sediment management, and design features that Pakistan maintains could enable greater storage and control than the treaty permits.
Other initiatives, including expansions at Baglihar and the revival of the Tulbul Navigation Project (or Wullar Barrage) on the Jhelum, compound these anxieties. Through such works, India has effectively sought to impound and divert waters rightfully destined for Pakistan, building dams and infrastructure that risk altering seasonal flows, diminishing supplies during critical sowing periods, and even unleashing sudden releases that threaten flooding. These actions strike at the core of the treaty’s spirit and letter. Pakistan has secured favorable judgments in international arbitration and courts, rulings that underscore the legal merit of its objections and affirm the need for India to adhere strictly to design limitations and notification requirements.
Yet Indian obduracy persists, a stubborn refusal to honor obligations that not only imperils Pakistan’s agriculture—potentially paralyzing fertile lands that feed millions—but also erodes the foundations of regional stability and international law. By weaponizing water in this manner, India pursues a form of coercion more silent than artillery yet no less devastating in its long-term consequences. Parallelly achievements of Pakistan regarding mediation between US and Iran have not gone unnoticed by the enemies of concord. Israel, long a foe of regional tranquility, has been deeply offended by these developments, in which Pakistan’s hard work played a visible part. In this regard, the US President and Vice President have roundly criticized and humiliated Netanyahu, exposing the fault lines within old alliances.
It is therefore scarcely surprising that Israel should seek to incite India, urging it to intensify its campaign of water terrorism as a means of avenging Pakistan’s earlier victories and undermining the hard-won momentum toward stability. In light of its strengthened diplomatic posture, Pakistan now possesses the means and the platform to bring this grave matter before the conscience of the world. With measured eloquence and persistent advocacy, it must illuminate India’s transgressions in every relevant forum, from the chambers of the United Nations to the corridors of power in Washington, Moscow, Beijing, Brussels, and the Gulf. Lobbying rooted not in rancor but in justice and self-preservation should urge these influential partners to press India toward compliance.
Should diplomatic avenues prove insufficient, however, and should India remain intransigent in its attempt to weaponise water, Pakistan would retain the sovereign right to defend its people and its future. No nation can be expected to watch passively as its agricultural heartland is deliberately starved. The path ahead calls for wisdom as much as resolve. Pakistan must continue to project the same composure that earned it global respect, transforming legitimate grievances into a compelling international narrative. By leveraging its alliances without compromising its independence, it can uphold the sanctity of treaties and the imperatives of peace. In doing so, the nation not only safeguards its own vital interests but reinforces the principle that even in an age of power politics, law and equity must ultimately prevail. The world, which has begun to see Pakistan anew, will be watching closely to see whether that respect continues to deepen through principled conduct in the face of adversity.
(The writer is a parliamentary expert with decades of experience in legislative research and media affairs, leading policy support initiatives for lawmakers on complex national and international issues, and can be reached at editorial@metro-Morning.com)
