In a letter sent to provincial chief secretaries, the chairman of the Indus River System Authority (IRSA) has strongly cautioned against dumping untreated wastewater into rivers and canals in order to “safeguard the constitutional right of citizens to clean and sustainable water resources.” Whether this will make any impact on a nation notorious for taking […]
Waters
The Weaponization of Waters! Geo-political Risks & the Humanitarian Cost of Unilateral “Abeyance”
For over six decades, the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) stood as a rare beacon of conflict-resilient diplomacy in South Asia. Brokered by the World Bank in 1960, it successfully governed the sharing of the Indus basin’s six rivers through three wars and numerous standoffs. However, this foundational stability was shattered on 23 April 2025, when […]
Navigating Shallow Waters (Part I)
Pakistan, a vessel perpetually traversing turbulent seas, completed another year of its journey in 2025. The waves it encountered were formidable, testing its structural integrity and the skill of its crew. Examining the year past offers an opportunity to chart a clearer course for the future. The nation contended with complex domestic and international currents, […]
Receding Waters
The 2025 floods are not an act of God. Well, they are, but they are also the predictable outcome of a state that has refused to learn from its own recurring catastrophes. From the super floods of 2010 to the biblical devastation of 2022, Pakistan was handed chance after chance to build resilience. Each time, […]