ABSTRACT
The chapter aims to reconcile a top-bottom with a bottom-up approach by taking note of how stakeholder engagements in multiple domestic spaces can transform the discussion around ecological issues relevant to the Indus Basin countries. The new imagination can be taken forward by engaging with differentially located actors through stakeholder platforms at the national level. Views of multiple stakeholders can be important in highlighting issues that impact the people of the basin countries. This will strengthen discourses that are relatively underdeveloped, given the current domination of mainstream discourses shaped by competing narratives around the Indus Basin. If one casts a look at media reporting on the Indus Basin, it appears fragmented, and the geopolitical undertones dominate. The reasons for this could be the distinct political culture of South Asian countries, the relative importance of statist structures and the trust deficit which exists between riparian neighbours, which in turn also impact on shared transboundary initiatives between various organisations.
