Pakistan and India point a lot of fingers at each other - usually blaming the other for instability in the region through state-sponsored terrorism. In most cases, the blame game is based on facts: it's no secret that both countries have supported "terrorist" groups (one man's terrorist is another's freedom fighter, especially when considering the disputed territories of Jammu & Kashmir, through which most rivers flow) to wield greater influence in the region. Often, this cycle is spurred by retaliatory attacks, which in turn induce retaliatory attacks, and the cycle continues; it is impossible to determine "who started it" and it is inconsequential at this point anyway. The media sensationalizes these allegations and grave issues like water security often fade into the shadows.

Pakistan's water disputes with India cannot be considered in isolation - they must be viewed within the larger context of geopolitics between the two countries. Since independence from British rule in 1947, Pakistan and India have had an uneasy relationship marked by three wars. A lot of the rivalry is rooted in social factors: most Indians, citizens of the world's second largest country in terms of population, have a hard time accepting that the Muslims that settled in what is now Pakistan, with a considerably smaller population, managed to split and gain their own independence. As history has taught us (and as we continue to see in politics today), separatist movements are not taken to kindly. Even though the Pakistani independence movement was not a separatist one in the classical sense, many parallels can be seen. Pakistan, which is almost seven times smaller than India, had to fend for its self in a rough neighborhood.

Water security became a huge concern as the importance of the disputed territories of Jammu & Kashmir became stronger for both countries, which led to two wars with no decisive, large-scale conclusion. The Kashmiris have been denied their right to elect their own government despite a multitude of UN resolutions. Even today, the majority of the lands are illegally administered and policed by India.

A solution to the water crisis in this region needs to come soon. It will have to include the rethinking of India's projects on rivers that carry water into Pakistan. Any project that affords India control of the flow of the water simply cannot be allowed. This fundamental condition must be met, as I have mentioned before, for any viable solution to arise. When considering these projects, we cannot be naïve - a quick look at the history of bitter conflict between these two nations will reveal that there is a constant battle for a strategic advantage. With this in mind, it is not hard to see that a lot of projects on these rivers serve a purpose more sinister than just electricity generation; this is the lens the problem needs to be viewed through if a solution is to be reached.