Pakistan, May 11 -- As golden wheat fields disappear from the plains of Swabi after harvest, farmers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are once again preparing their lands for rice cultivation, but this summer, uncertainty hangs over their hopes following repeated Indus Water Treaty (IWT) violations by India since April last year.

In Margoz village of Swabi district, progressive farmer Zubair Ali carefully levels his fields with a tractor under the scorching May sun, relying on the waters of the River Indus to irrigate his five acres of rice farmland.

"Our entire village largely depends on the water came out of Turbela dam built on the river Indus. If the flow decreases, small farmers will suffer the most in Swabi," he said. Besides thousands of po...