By Ghulam Haider Shaikh
Pakistan’s decision to reconsider the Chitral Diversion Project reflects a critical realization, that water security has become an essential dimension of national defense. As reports surface about growing India-Afghanistan collaboration on dam construction and hydrological manipulation, Islamabad faces the dual challenge of defending its territorial integrity and safeguarding its lifelines. The “water wars” that once seemed a distant concern are now unfolding at Pakistan’s borders.
India’s alleged offer of one billion dollars in financial assistance to the Taliban regime, coupled with its involvement in several Afghan dam projects, including Naghlu, Darunta, Shah Tut, Shah Waros, Gambiri, and Baghdara, reveals a clear strategy: to use water as a tool of coercion. The recent visit of the Afghan foreign minister to New Delhi, followed by reports in India Today on October 24, 2025, underscores how hydropolitics is being weaponized to exert pressure on Pakistan. The aim appears twofold, to choke Pakistan’s water supply both from the east and the west, and to undermine its agricultural and economic stability.
The unilateral suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty by India has already set a dangerous precedent. Now, with Afghanistan potentially drawn into this geopolitical equation, Pakistan faces an emerging two-front challenge to its water sovereignty. Such provocations are not merely environmental or economic; they represent an act of strategic aggression. The response, therefore, must be equally strategic, combining technical resilience, diplomatic engagement, and regional alliances.
Pakistan’s exploration of the Chitral Diversion Project should be seen as both a defensive and diplomatic signal. Domestically, it would enhance water storage and management capacity; internationally, it conveys that Islamabad will not passively accept hydrological blackmail. Yet, while preparation is essential, escalation must be avoided. Pakistan’s approach must remain anchored in international law, specifically, in principles governing transboundary water cooperation and the prohibition of unilateral diversion projects without mutual consent.
The challenge before Islamabad is not only to counter India’s designs but also to prevent Afghanistan from becoming a proxy in this dangerous game. The answer lies in assertive diplomacy, technical preparedness, and strategic partnerships, particularly with China and Central Asian states that share similar water vulnerabilities.
Water, once a shared blessing, is now being twisted into an instrument of control. Pakistan must act wisely, neither reactive nor complacent, to ensure that its rivers continue to flow freely, not under threat but under sovereignty.
Rights, Not Charity
The Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s remarks that “the tribal people are Pakistani and will remain Pakistani, we want rights, not charity” carry deep political and moral weight. In a region that has borne the brunt of decades of conflict, neglect, and displacement, this statement is more than a slogan,it’s a demand for dignity, justice, and genuine inclusion.
The tribal districts, after their merger with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, were promised social, political, and economic integration. Yet years later, much of that promise remains unfulfilled. Basic infrastructure lags behind, education and healthcare facilities are inadequate, and employment opportunities are scarce. Instead of empowerment, what many residents have received are temporary relief packages, token development projects, and political rhetoric. The Chief Minister’s words therefore echo the frustration of millions who are tired of waiting for promises to turn into progress.
To say that the tribal people are not asking for charity is to highlight a fundamental truth: equality in citizenship demands equality in opportunity. For too long, the tribal belt was treated as a frontier buffer, a place of sacrifice, not of investment. The new political dispensation must correct that imbalance by ensuring that development funds are allocated transparently, that local voices are part of governance, and that the rule of law replaces the legacy of military operations and administrative neglect.
Moreover, Islamabad must understand that peace cannot be sustained through temporary measures or selective attention. Stability in the tribal districts is directly tied to Pakistan’s national security and social cohesion. It requires consistent political will, economic justice, and respect for local identity.
The Chief Minister’s statement, then, should not just be seen as regional sentiment, it is a national reminder. Pakistan’s future prosperity depends on giving its most marginalized citizens not alms, but agency; not slogans, but rights.
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