India and Pakistan: Peace Representations

Baroness Gohir Excerpts

Thursday 17th July 2025 Grand Committee

[Baroness Gohir (CB)]

My Lords, I thank the noble Lord, Lord Hussain, for his powerful opening to the debate. I want to express deep concern about India’s decision to suspend its participation in the Indus Waters Treaty. It is a breach of international conventions. It is also a highly unethical action. Water should never be weaponised. It is not just a resource; it is a basic human right. For decades, even in the face of war and hostilities between India and Pakistan, that treaty was maintained. It has long been a good example of co-operation and diplomacy, despite the tension between the two countries. That is no small achievement and something both countries can be proud of.

What has changed? Why is India now threatening to cut off the water to Pakistan? Even if India has legitimate grievances and concerns about terrorism, its response is disproportionate, because it punishes Pakistan’s 240 million civilian population. This will not increase its security. In fact, it is more likely to destabilise the region. India’s decision has not emerged in a vacuum. In other parts of the world, we are witnessing the dangerous normalisation of weaponising water. The most glaring and disturbing example is Israel’s systematic use of water as a tool of domination and deprivation in Gaza. The world has failed to hold Israel accountable; that failure has likely emboldened India and will embolden other countries in the future, who will weaponise water and punish civilian populations. This could happen to India too in the future, which has upstream neighbouring countries.

We must not stay silent given what is at stake. Water from the Indus basin is a lifeline for the population of Pakistan. It relies on the Indus basin’s water for around 80% of its agriculture, which accounts for over 20% of its GDP and supports over 40% of its workforce. One-third of Pakistan’s hydropower also depends on the basin’s water. Inaction now will lead to crop failures, deepen food insecurity and increase poverty. Even a small diversion or blockage will have catastrophic consequences. For example, Pakistan could feel the impact during the dry season when water availability is already at its lowest. The suspension of the treaty also means that data-sharing mechanisms on river flows have been suspended. Without real-time data, Pakistan will not be able to forecast and prepare for floods or droughts, or plan for irrigation, hydropower or drinking water.

India could also use other tactics to cause harm to Pakistani civilians, such as temporarily holding back water and then suddenly releasing it, without warning, causing massive damage downstream. Sudden flushes of silt that can build up in dams could also cause significant damage downstream to crops in Pakistan. The world cannot look the other way, and the UK can play a crucial role as a mediator and involve the World Bank. Does the Minister share my concerns? Are our Government willing to get involved? Can she share what representations she has made to the Indian Government? How confident is she that she can get representatives from both sides to sit down and try to talk through and resolve this issue?

The time to act is now because, once the flow of water stops, so does the hope for peace between India and Pakistan.