Episode 290: Indus Water Treat: Historical Origins and Contemporary Implications

In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks in Pahalgam in April 2025, the Government of India announced the immediate abeyance of the Indus Water Treaty (IWT).  Signed in 1960 between India and Pakistan, the IWT was brokered by the World Bank, amidst rising post-Partition tensions and concerns regarding the sharing of water. In this episode, Muhammad Saad Ul Haque, Research Analyst, ISAS, is in conversation with David Gilmartin, Professor of History, North Carolina State University, to speak about the treaty’s colonial origins, post-Partition concerns, and the emerging dynamics putting its existence into question.