PYQ Vault · Paper 2 · India & South Asia — Part 1
“Despite the differences between India and Pakistan on various issues, Indus Water Treaty has stood the test of times.’ In the light of this statement, discuss the recent developments over this issue.
How the answer moves
The flow snapshot — the routes in, the body, the counter-view and the routes out.
Flow snapshot — how the answer moves
Intro routes
R! 1960, World Bank —> basin divided, not shared — design built to keep water out of politics R2 three wars, standoffs 1987-2019, treaty intact — durability came from institutional insulation, not goodwill
Body flow
eastern rivers India / western rivers Pakistan, ~20% non-consumptive — Permanent Indus Commission + neutral expert + arbitration insulation from politics —-> Drabu: among the world’s most successful — survived 1965, 1971, 1999 → strain both ways: Tulbul objections / 80% grievance / Article XII lock → Ranjan: water nationalism, militant pick-up — Uri 2016 “blood and water” → 2019 threat → 23 April 2025 suspension, Article 62 Vienna Convention
Counter-view
leverage limited → Drabu's arithmetic: diversion or storage, thirty to fifty years, severe environmental cost —> Yaqoob: treaty a “non-exit” partnership
Conclusion routes
R1 treaty lasted because water stayed out of politics — recent turn breaks that insulation R2 suspension short of termination — Chellaney: renegotiate for changed realities as the steadier route
Model answer
Handwritten, in the form it would be written in the examination hall.
