Role of the US in Pakistan’s Post-Partition Quest for Water Security

Abstract

The Partition of India in 1947 left the vast irrigation canals of downstream Pakistan dependent on water supplies from upstream India. In order to irrigate its underdeveloped areas, India diverted waters from two canals flowing into Pakistan in 1948. The incident triggered Pakistan’s quest for water security. In order to address it, Pakistan asked India for bilateral negotiations which resulted in the Inter-Dominion Agreement. The Agreement proved fatal for Pakistan’s quest for water security as it allowed India to diminish waters flowing into Pakistan gradually. Pakistan realized the drastic implications of the Agreement for its water security. It, therefore, backed off on the Agreement and insisted on third-party mediations. Pakistan’s quest for water security remained elusive until the US intervened in 1951 under the auspices of the World Bank. This paper discusses the role of US intervention in the post-Partition India-Pakistan water dispute and addressing Pakistan’s quest for water security.