IN April 2025, India placed the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance following an attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 civilians in Indian-administered Kashmir.

Hydrological data sharing stopped. Joint inspections were suspended. Operational constraints on the western rivers were eased. New Delhi linked restoration to Pakistan’s action against cross-border militancy. Even as ceasefires held into 2026, India advanced hydropower projects on the Chenab and carried out sediment flushing operations that increased downstream uncertainty.

Pakistan responded in the language of sovereignty and survival. Officials condemned the move as water warfare and a breach of international law, warning of escalation risks. Diplomatic engagement followed through the United Nations, the World Bank and other forums. Yet beneath the rhetoric lay a deeper realization: the crisis was not only geopolitical. It was epistemic. It disrupted........

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