New Delhi, Oct. 30 -- India's decision to place the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in abeyance marks a significant shift in its approach to water-sharing with Pakistan, bringing national security, reciprocity and long-term developmental interests into sharper focus, according to an analysis published by the Centre for Peace Studies (ICPS), New Delhi.

In an issue brief titled The Indus Waters Treaty at Crossroads: Law, Security and Geopolitics in South Asia, Dr Mohammad Usman Bhatti, Research Fellow at ICPS, examines the historical background of the agreement, India's legal and security concerns, and the need to modernise a framework negotiated more than six decades ago.

The treaty, signed in 1960 with the World Bank acting as a mediator, all...