“Indus Waters Treaty: A year of ending one-sided concessions”, First Post, April 23, 2026
“There are hundreds of trans-boundary river basins all over the world. In 99.9 per cent of cases, the upper riparian nations share the bounty of fresh waters with their lower riparian neighbours only after first substantially fulfilling their own needs. Providing their own citizens with drinking water, irrigation facilities for their farmers and enough water for their industries. After meeting these domestic obligations, they give/share water to/with other co-riparians, more often than not rather reluctantly.
If anyone has any doubts about the dictum of one’s own interests first, as explained in the first paragraph, they can study just two examples of Turkey and China, two of Pakistan’s best friends. Or additionally, how the US treats Mexico in the allocation of waters of the mighty Colorado River.
What needs to be reiterated here is that for all nations, beginning with A for America to Z for Zambia, their own national interests come first and foremost. These outweigh any other considerations, moral compunctions, diplomatic niceties or anything else just as vague. Incidentally, Zambia is a landlocked country bordered by eight other nations and is named after the mighty Zambezi River. The Zambezi (meaning Great River) reflects the country’s abundant water resources…….”
Read full article at firstpost.com
