Even after one year since the Pahalgam false flag operation, the Modi government remains unable to provide evidence for the false allegations levelled against Pakistan.
Immediately after the incident, India showed astonishing speed. An FIR was registered within minutes, and without investigation or forensic evidence, Pakistan was blamed. The haste of the Indian government became the most prominent feature of the entire episode. Despite repeated claims, New Delhi has still failed to present verifiable and credible evidence before the international community. Islamabad’s offer of an impartial, transparent investigation was rejected.
Within days, India escalated tensions on multiple fronts. The unilateral suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty signalled preparation to use water as a weapon. Military strikes followed, pushing two nuclear-armed neighbours to the brink of war.
Ultimately, no state can indefinitely escape the constraints of international law without consequences.
Through these attacks, India sought to set a new precedent where unverified allegations could justify cross-border action. In response, Pakistan’s reaction was swift and measured.
During the May 2025 clashes, the downing of multiple Indian aircraft altered the battlefield narrative and shattered the perception of Indian superiority that New Delhi was keen to project.
For more than six decades, the Indus Waters Treaty remained intact despite diplomatic deadlocks, tensions, and full-scale wars, never suspended by either side. The Indus Waters Treaty has been counted among the most durable and successful water-sharing agreements, surviving periods of intense hostility between India and Pakistan, including armed conflicts and prolonged diplomatic estrangement. India’s unilateral move to keep the treaty in abeyance has created a fundamental rupture in this historic continuity, attempting to set a dangerous precedent where legal agreements are made subservient to political expediency. This shift not only destabilises the bilateral water regime but is an attempt to erode confidence in the sanctity of international agreements.
The survival of the Indus Water Treaty through multiple wars highlights its design as a conflict-insulated legal instrument, making India’s current suspension an unprecedented violation of the established global order. By unilaterally keeping the treaty suspended, India is departing from a six-decade tradition of treaty compliance, thus converting a historically apolitical technical arrangement into a political tool of coercion. India’s unilateral suspension of an internationally recognised treaty presents a picture of strategic irresponsibility.
In an attempt to gain short-term political advantage, India risks long-term international embarrassment, as its actions invite legal contestation, multilateral condemnation, and the erosion of its credibility as a reliable treaty partner in future negotiations. This move signals a shift from rules-based engagement to power-based unilateralism, undermining the legal predictability essential for sustainable transboundary water management. India is using water as a weapon of strategic pressure against a lower riparian state.
Ultimately, no state can indefinitely escape the constraints of international law without consequences. India’s attempt to use the treaty for coercive purposes is likely to cause lasting reputational damage, undermine its principled standing, and trigger broader resistance within the international system against such unilateral violations.
In response to the aggression imposed by India, Pakistan’s reply elevated Pakistan’s stature internationally and placed it in a stronger position in the region. Sections of the Indian media amplified claims that were neither independently verified nor diplomatically proven.
Over the past years, a pattern has emerged where allegations are quickly levelled against Pakistan, often without publicly verifiable evidence, followed by attempts at escalation. However, each time, a robust response has come, reinforcing the reality that any Indian government aggression and illegal action will be met with a befitting reply. The Indian government, its civil society, media, and intellectuals need to learn the lesson that regional peace cannot be achieved until there is a will to permanently end unwise moves like Pahalgam.
The writer is a freelance columnist and contributes regularly on issues concerning national security.