PAKISTAN’S role as the main mediator in the recent conflict between the United States and Iran has earned it global admiration, which is just wonderful because it is a genuine diplomatic achievement. One fails to understand, however, why such brilliance is not brought into play when it comes to regional matters.

The issue of the Indus Waters Treaty is an example in this regard. Since April 2025, India has suspended the 65-year-old agreement, halting water flows from the Chenab, and cutting off hydrological data we depend on for flood warnings.

Pakistan’s agriculture, which feeds 250 million people, rests on these waters. Yet, no diplomatic talks on the bilateral treaty have taken place. Not one.

When Pakistan commands enough trust in Washington to bring the US and Iran to the table, and it surely does, the leverage should be used to demand the restoration of a water treaty that is surely Pakistan’s existential lifeline. The US should be asked to put pressure on India, which is a US strategic partner, to come to the table.

Shanzay Javed
Hyderabad

Published in Dawn, July 5th, 2026