Mr Prime Minister,
In the wake of the recent Pahalgam tragedy – where innocent lives were lost in yet another grim chapter of the crisis in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir – your government, true to precedent, chose not reflection but retaliation.
With no substantive investigation, no evidence and no moral restraint, your administration swiftly pointed fingers across the border, accusing Pakistan and escalating tension in an already volatile region.
In sheer diplomatic belligerence, your government chose to unilaterally place the Indus Waters Treaty in “abeyance” – a decision as unlawful as it is dangerous; followed shortly by unprovoked attacks on Pakistan’s civilian population – in blatant disregard of international humanitarian law.
Let us be absolutely clear: the Treaty – containing no provision for unilateral suspension – is not a political instrument to be wielded for coercion; it is a legally binding international agreement and one of the most successful and enduring water-sharing treaties in the world.
The decision to suspend the Treaty is not merely an act of defiance against Pakistan; it is an affront to international law, an assault on regional stability and a betrayal of India’s own legal commitments.
Such actions undermine the very fabric of bilateral cooperation that the Treaty was intended to protect.
The real tragedy here is not just your government’s cynical manipulation of a humanitarian tragedy to score political points, but its complete failure to grasp the complexity and fragility of the Indus Basin system.
The rivers in question are not weapons – they are lifelines.
To hold these waters hostage is to jeopardize the basic survival of over 240 million people.
That, Mr.Prime Minister, is not diplomacy but blackmail – dressed in the language of nationalism.
At a time when South Asia faces looming climate threats and rapidly declining water tables, your administration’s policy of brinkmanship risks turning a cooperative instrument into a conflict trigger.
Cumulatively, India’s hydropower projects on these rivers create the very capacity the Treaty was designed to prevent: the ability to choke water flows at will.
The Indus Waters Treaty has survived wars, military stand-offs and political upheaval.
If it now falters, the responsibility will lie squarely with your government – for weaponizing water and subverting peace for the sake of political posturing.
In today’s India (carefully masterminded by your extremist policies and rhetoric), the battleground has transcended borders – lying now within the realm of mainstream and digital media.
Under the current Indian Administration, truth itself is becoming collateral damage in a state-sponsored war on dissent.
Over the past month in particular, Indian media outlets – mainstream and digital alike – launched into a familiar frenzy, not to inform but to inflame.
Without forensic investigation or verified intelligence, culpability was hastily attributed across the border.
What ensued was not journalism, but manufactured outrage: a coordinated campaign of misinformation designed to serve a political narrative rather than the truth.
Fact-checking was abandoned and inflammatory headlines took precedence over responsible reporting.
The Indian public was fed a steady diet of fear, nationalism and vilification of Pakistan, rather than facts.
In the absence of accountability, media institutions have become megaphones for state-sponsored narratives, eradicating the line between independent media and political propaganda.
This deliberate distortion is made worse by the Indian Government’s aggressive control of media platforms.
To enable the war mongering to continue without any accountability, accounts critical of government policy were swiftly banned.
Furthermore, content exposing human rights violations or offering alternative viewpoints is immediately taken down.
Algorithms are manipulated.
Narratives are curated.
The digital landscape has been transformed into a controlled theatre of information warfare, where only state-approved voices are allowed to echo.
These trends are not merely concerning – they are unconstitutional.
Article 19(1)(a) of the Indian Constitution guarantees the freedom of speech and expression to all citizens; an unconditional right rather than a privilege bestowed by the government, representing a fundamental liberty that forms the bedrock of a democratic society.
When a government suppresses speech, it does not simply breach legal boundaries – it undermines the concept of the social contract.
Such erosion of media freedom and the rise of disinformation in India demonstrate a broader democratic crisis.
In such an environment, the question is not whether India can hold its neighbours accountable (for a manufactured attack to ensure regional dominance).
The question is: who will hold India accountable to its own constitutional promises?
Mr.Prime Minister, this is not just about Pakistan.
This is about setting a dangerous global precedent.
If treaties can be whimsically suspended and legal obligations erratically discarded, then the entire structure of international cooperation begins to unravel.
It is imperative that your government rethink its approach as a duty to your people and the principles of rule-based international order.
The rivers must flow – not just with water, but with the possibility of peace.
—The writer is contributing columnist.
