In response to India’s recent unilateral suspension of the Indus Water Treaty (IWT), the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) Karachi convened a high-level policy roundtable titled “Indus Water Treaty in Perspective” at its City Campus. The event, organized by the Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER) at the School of Economics and Social Sciences (SESS), brought together a diverse group of policy experts, academics, journalists, and government officials to assess the implications of the move and the broader challenges of water diplomacy in South Asia.
Participants raised serious concerns over Pakistan’s limited institutional capacity to address the treaty’s complex legal and technical dimensions at diplomatic forums. While academic institutions offer courses on water-related topics, speakers stressed the urgent need to enhance national expertise in international water law and transboundary water diplomacy to respond effectively to such developments.
Discussions also critiqued prevailing media narratives, particularly claims that India is “blocking water” to Pakistan. Experts clarified that such scenarios are technically unfeasible without extensive infrastructure and are often used as political rhetoric rather than grounded in hydrological reality.
Another pressing concern was the ambiguous role of the World Bank in the current dispute. Participants noted the absence of a clear conflict resolution mechanism between India and Pakistan under the treaty, limiting its ability to respond to evolving challenges such as climate change and changing water flows.
Experts also questioned the effectiveness of proposed infrastructure solutions. “Building new dams alone is not the answer,” warned several panelists, highlighting Pakistan’s inadequate water storage and the long-term decline in river flows.
The session concluded with a collective call for action: the establishment of a multi-stakeholder working group under IBA-CBER to develop strategic recommendations for modernizing the treaty and ensuring regional water security. This group would serve as a forum for regular engagement among policymakers, researchers, and civil society actors.
The roundtable was moderated by Dr Lubna Naz, Director of IBA-CBER. Distinguished participants included Mr. Muhammad Ehsan ul Haq Laghari (IRSA), Mr. Shahab Usto (Supreme Court Advocate), Mr. Syed Jaffar Ahmed (IBA Board of Governors), Mr. Hafeez Ahmed Jamali (Balochistan Civil Service Academy), and other notable voices from journalism, academia, and the development sector such as Afia Salam, Khurram Husain, Raheema Panhwar, and Dr Aadil Nakhoda.
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The event marked a timely and necessary initiative to bring water governance to the forefront of national policy discourse in the face of escalating regional tensions and climate vulnerabilities.