Pak-Afghan Water Issue: A Case for Benefit-Sharing

Despite being intertwined by geographical, linguistic, regional, religious and ethnic knots, Pakistan and Afghanistan have experienced upheavals in their bilateral relations. Changing regional and international political interests have further complicated their relations. Besides confronting traditional security challenges, Pakistan and Afghanistan are facing a severe non-traditional security threat, i.e., the issue of shared waters without any regulatory mechanism. Despite efforts of international organizations in the past, both countries have failed to reach an agreement over the shared waters. Currently, they are following a unilateral water strategy. Afghanistan-India joint water projects further complicate the situation as Pakistan is already facing issues with the latter due to the increasing number of Indian projects on western rivers. Though water may be critical for the recovery of Afghanistan's agriculture based economy, the projects on Kabul River may have serious implications on downstream irrigation and initiatives, the ecology and bilateral relations between the two riparian countries, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Linked closely to the conflicts among states and societies, water as an environmental security issue must be dealt with the same urgency as traditional security challenges. This paper analyzes the security perceptions in Pakistan and Afghanistan and contends that the probability of a future conflict over shared water has not been duly attended. There is a need to develop an integrated mechanism based on the fundamental principle of benefit-sharing instead of dividing waters or any unilateral decisions.