Indo-Pakistani water dispute of 1948

India and Pakistan had a dispute over the sharing of water rights to the Indus River and its tributaries in April 1948, about eight months after their independence. The East Punjab province of India shut off water running to the West Punjab province of Pakistan via the main branches of the Upper Bari Doab Canal as well as the Dipalpur Canal from the Ferozepur Headworks.[1] It was resumed after five weeks when Pakistan agreed to attend an Inter-Dominion conference to negotiate an agreement.[2][3] The critical nature of the Indian action caused deep apprehensions in Pakistan, which were eventually resolved only with the signing of the Indus Waters Treaty in 1960.[4]

  1. ^ Salman & Uprety, Conflict and Cooperation (2002), pp. 42–43.
  2. ^ Salman & Uprety, Conflict and Cooperation (2002), pp. 43–44.
  3. ^ Gilmartin, Blood and Water (2020), pp. 210–211.
  4. ^ Gilmartin, Blood and Water (2020), p. 211: 'The stoppage of canal water, perhaps more than any other single event in the first year of Pakistan’s existence, gave Radcliffe’s artificial line simultaneous "natural" and "national" meaning'.