Indus Waters Ex-Commissioner on India's Options After Treaty Suspension

India has suspended the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan until Islamabad stops supporting cross-border terrorism. The action comes following the massacre of 26 persons, including tourists, in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, on Tuesday. What is the potential impact of this move? The Indus River system includes the main river, the Indus, as well as five left-bank tributaries: the Ravi, the Beas, the Sutlej, the Jhelum, and the Chenab. The Kabul, a right bank tributary, does not flow through India.

The Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej are collectively known as the Eastern Rivers, whilst the Chenab, Jhelum, and Indus are known as the Western Rivers. Its waterways are crucial for both India and Pakistan. Pradeep Kumar Saxena, who served as India's Indus Waters Commissioner for over six years and an expert on the IWT, stated that India, as an upper riparian country, has a number of options. "This could be the first step towards abrogating the Treaty, if the government so decides," Mr Saxena told the Press Trust of India.

"Although there is no explicit provision in the Treaty for its abrogation, Article 62 of the Vienna Convention on Law of the Treaties provides sufficient room under which the treaty can be repudiated in view of the fundamental change of circumstances which has occurred with regard to those existing at the time of conclusion of the Treaty," according to him.