Is the Indus Waters Treaty the latest India-Pakistan flashpoint?

India wants to renegotiate the 64-year-old pact that has withstood four wars, and under which the neighbours split water from six Himalayan rivers.

Islamabad, Pakistan – For more than 60 years, India and Pakistan have jointly managed the waters of six rivers of the Indus basin that gave birth to one of the oldest human civilisations.

Despite four wars and near-constant tension between them, the South Asian neighbours used the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) to irrigate the fertile lands on both sides of their border.

But that pact could emerge as the latest flashpoint in the fragile relationship between New Delhi and Islamabad, with India serving a notice to Pakistan seeking to renegotiate the treaty’s terms.

Indian media reports say that on September 18, India sent a formal notice to Pakistan, citing various concerns, including changes in population demographics, environmental challenges, and other factors, asking for a reassessment of the treaty.

“India’s notification highlights fundamental and unforeseen changes in circumstances that require a reassessment of obligations under various Articles of the Treaty,” the Indian notice said.

So what does the notice really mean? Why is the Indus Waters Treaty so important to both countries – and what’s next?

Like many issues between India and Pakistan, the origins of the IWT trace back to the Partition of India in August 1947, when British rule ended, and India and Pakistan emerged as two sovereign nations. Both countries, home to a combined population of over 1.6 billion, are heavily dependent on the waters of the rivers flowing from the Himalayas.

With both nations relying on the same river systems for irrigation and agriculture, an urgent need arose to negotiate an equitable