ABSTRACT
India and Pakistan share the Indus River Basin on the basis of an agreement known as the Indus Water Treaty (IWT). This treaty has survived two wars – in 1965 and 1971 – and can be considered a classic example of cooperation, but further dialogue has not taken place due to ongoing political tension and lack of trust between the two countries. One of the major causes of tension over the IWT has been the ever-increasing demand for water due to high population growth. The Permanent Indus Commission (PIC) was constituted under the terms of the IWT, and a permanent post of Commissioner for Indus Waters was created in both India and Pakistan. In India, the Indus Commissioner works under the auspices of the Ministry of Water Resources (MoWR), Government of India. As far as IWT is concerned, the governments of Pakistan and India believe that it has served them quite well for more than half a century.
