War or Peace on the Rivers of South Asia?

Authors

  • Muhammad Imran Mehsud Department of Political Science & International Relations, Hazara University, Mansehra, Pakistan. | School of Politics & International Relations, Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1743-5006
  • Azam Jan Department of Communication & Media Studies, Hazara University, Mansehra, Pakistan. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8775-5315
  • Tariq Anwar Khan Department of Political Science & International Relations, Hazara University, Mansehra, Pakistan. | Department of Political Science, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4476-5163

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47264/idea.lassij/4.1.21

Keywords:

Water Wars, Water for Peace, River Wars, South Asian Rivers, Indus Rivers, Media Role in Water Crisis, Water Disputes, Indian Rivers, Pakistani Rivers

Abstract

The renowned water expert, John Briscoe, predicted a bleak future for India-Pakistan water relations across the Indus attributing it to Pakistan’s downstream anxieties vis-à-vis upstream regional hegemon-India. Do the other co-riparian states of India share the same bleak future across the South Asian rivers of the Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Meghna or are the water relations across these rivers peaceful as compared to the Indus? To answer this question, this study first explores India-Pakistan water disputes on the Indus and then analyses India-Bangladesh water disputes on the Ganges and Brahmaputra, India-Nepal, India-Bhutan, and Pakistan-Afghanistan water relations. The methodology adopted for this study is descriptive, historical, and analytical in its nature. The study concludes that India has not only failed to adopt a conciliatory approach towards Pakistan on the Indus but has generated mistrust amongst other neighbouring countries over water sharing due to its hegemonic hydro-behaviour. It recommends that India should adopt a conciliatory approach to have peaceful relations across the rivers of South Asia.

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Published

2020-12-09

How to Cite

Mehsud, M. I., Jan, A., & Khan, T. A. (2020). War or Peace on the Rivers of South Asia?. Liberal Arts and Social Sciences International Journal (LASSIJ), 4(1), 242–254. https://doi.org/10.47264/idea.lassij/4.1.21

Issue

Section

Original Research Articles

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