Pakistan, Oct. 1 -- Information Minister Attaullah Tarar warned on Wednesday that India's unilateral decision to place the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance could have consequences for water governance far beyond South Asia. The warning came only weeks after the Court of Arbitration constituted under the treaty held that the agreement remains in force despite India's position, and days after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif used the UN General Assembly to reiterate Pakistan's concern over any attempt to impede its treaty share. The Indus dispute has therefore moved into a more consequential phase: from argument over individual projects to argument over whether the rules governing a shared river system can themselves be set aside.

That is why ...