Explained: Indus Waters Treaty & Why It May Not Get Tinkered With

Indus Waters Treaty has stood through 3 major wars. Here’s a quick explainer on why it may stay as it is.

Pakistan is worried that India may hamper the flow of the important rivers to the country. Will it happen? (Design: TheQuint)

India and Pakistan are at loggerheads after the recent Uri attacks. One of the heated debates centres around the Indus Waters Treaty. What is it, and what’ll happen? Here’s a quick explainer. Watch here:

The Indus river originates in China and has a length of 3,180 kilometres. It passes through India and then Pakistan.

In 1960, India’s Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru signed the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan’s President, Ayub Khan.

The treaty is not limited to the Indus river.

India is the source of 4 of these rivers.

Indus and Sutlej have their source in China.

In the treaty, India has clear directives to not do any hanky-panky, and use the water only for productive purposes.

But Pakistan remains suspicious, because a lot of its water demands are met by these rivers flowing through India.

India maintains that for the treaty to continue as is, there needs to be an environment of mutual trust.

The Indus Waters Treaty has stood the test of times.

Probably, it can survive this one too.

Fingers crossed.

Because, this prediction worries us.

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