Water Security in South Asia: How Indo-Israeli Technological Cooperation Shapes the Future of the Indus Waters Treaty

Abstract

Under the evolving dynamics of Pakistan–India ties, this article attempts to examine IWT’s future in light of the India’s growing technological capability and shifting diplomatic policies after the 2025 Pahalgam incident. While the IWT has long been a symbol of resilience in South Asian water diplomacy, the legal regime of the treaty is now under pressure by new emerging issues which are difficult to solve under the provisions of the treaty. Under the umbrella of Indo-Israel cooperation the India’s control over water flow in the western rivers of the Indus Basin is increasing, enabling India to influence downstream flow without evidently breaching the treaty provisions. Thus, the article adopts qualitative methodology to contextualize these developments in a geopolitical perspective asserting that India’s post-Pahalgam discourse of “reconsideration” or putting on hold the IWT has led to the politicization of water as a weapon. Drawing on legal analysis, hydropolitical theory, and contemporary case studies—such as the Kishanganga and Ratle dam disputes—the article contends that Pakistan faces a complex set of risks: a legal limbo, technological divergence, and diplomatic isolation. In order to counter these threats, the paper recommends a multidimensional approach of treaty repurposing, water infrastructure development, regional cooperation formation, and narrative warfare. Conclusively, the author of the article focuses on the proposition that the Indus Waters Treaty’s sustainability and the security of waters in South Asia can be defined not by legal compliance but by the reconceptualisation of hydro-strategy within a hi-tech region besieged by increasing political instability.