ISLAMABAD:Water experts have called for enhanced regional cooperation between Pakistan and India to address growing water security challenges, promote hydro-diplomacy and prevent tensions, stressing that respect for international agreements and effective water governance are essential for lasting peace in South Asia.
Speaking at a session titled ‘Water Security, Hydro-Diplomacy and Regional Peace’ organised by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) on the second day of its conference, speakers emphasised that Pakistan must continue pursuing its rights under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) through bilateral and international forums while strengthening domestic water management and conservation.
SDPI Chairperson Board of Governors Ambassador Shafqat Kakakhel described water as an existential issue and a fundamental requirement for life. He said the Indus Waters Treaty was an extraordinary agreement negotiated at a time when international water law was still developing. The treaty not only prevented a potentially devastating conflict between Pakistan and India but also contributed principles subsequently incorporated into the UN Watercourses Convention.
Former Chairman of the Federal Flood Commission Ahmed Kamal cautioned that Pakistan could not afford to treat the treaty as a matter of history, particularly as India continued pursuing water-related projects.
He said India had eight projects on the ground, including one for which a bid had already been made and civil works were reportedly underway.
National Defence University academic Dr Shaheen Akhtar said regional cooperation offered significant potential for strengthening water security. However, the suspension of SAARC activities and strained Pakistan-India relations had weakened prospects for collective action.
She described the Indus Waters Treaty as the region’s strongest water-sharing framework, containing detailed provisions concerning the rights of both countries and technical requirements for run-of-the-river projects.
Global development leader Nabeel Goheer said the water dispute extended beyond sectoral and security concerns, directly affecting economic development, human welfare, climate change and bilateral relations.
At another session titled ‘SPHF – The World’s Largest Post-Disaster Housing Reconstruction Programme’, World Bank Country Director for Pakistan Bolormaa Amgaabazar described the completion of one million houses within a few years as an unprecedented achievement.
She expressed hope that the Sindh People’s Housing for Flood Affectees (SPHF) programme would achieve its overall target of approximately 2.1 million homes.
Representatives of the European Union, World Bank and Asian Development Bank described the programme as a potential global model for countries facing climate disasters, poverty and housing shortages. The initiative aims to reduce poverty by providing vulnerable families with secure and dignified housing.
ADB Country Director for Pakistan Dr Emma Xiaoqin Fan termed the initiative an internationally significant development success, saying its scale, speed and inclusive approach offered valuable lessons for housing finance programmes worldwide.
She observed that conventional housing finance models largely depended on banks and financial intermediaries, leaving extremely poor and financially excluded households without access to formal support.
Pakistan’s experience, she said, demonstrated that inclusive housing initiatives could reach underserved communities while generating wider benefits through land access, employment, skills development and financial inclusion.
Meanwhile, speakers at a session titled ‘From Skills to Economic Independence: Expanding Opportunities for Women’ discussed measures to bridge economic gaps, expand opportunities and strengthen women’s participation in the workforce.
Member of the National Assembly Shaista Pervaiz Malik said skills were the key to economic empowerment, but five essential factors-skills, safety, capital, markets and health-were necessary to turn women’s potential into economic independence.
She stressed the need for institutional and market-level reforms to remove barriers and create an enabling environment for women’s meaningful participation in the economy.
SDPI Executive Director Dr Abid Qaiyum Suleri highlighted the importance of a ‘golden triangle’ comprising skills, finance and market access, saying all three elements must work together to translate women’s capabilities into sustainable economic opportunities.
He also called for expanding the discussion to include insurance and microfinance sectors.
At a session on ‘Strengthening Power Systems for Energy Transition in South Asia’, UNESCAP Subregional Office for South and South-West Asia Director and Head Ms Mikiko Tanaka said the increasing share of solar and wind energy in the Asia-Pacific region had made seasonal variability a critical challenge.
She identified inadequate transmission infrastructure, regulatory and institutional weaknesses, and financial constraints as major obstacles to upgrading electricity grids.
Stronger transmission networks and integrated energy systems, she said, could facilitate the electrification of regional economies.
Mohammad Solaiman, Deputy Secretary at Bangladesh’s Power Division, Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, said his country’s earlier emphasis on increasing electricity generation capacity, accompanied by capacity payments and limited competitive bidding, had placed a significant burden on the economy.
He said the recent regional energy crisis had exposed Bangladesh’s vulnerability due to its dependence on imported fuels.