India’s suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty and shutting the Attari-Wagah border following the heinous Pahalgam terror attack has rattled Pakistan’s already struggling economy. Islamabad, caught off-guard by the swift and sweeping measures, is now facing mounting pressure across critical sectors — agriculture, health, fertiliser supply, and access to vital water resources.

Through the now-suspended IWT, Pakistan gets roughly 80% of the waters of western rivers (Indus, Jhelum and Chenab) that flow through India into Pakistan, whereas India’s share from the eastern rivers (Beas, Ravi and Sutlej) is 20%. The suspension of the treaty will hit Pakistan way more than India.

“This is a clever, popular and populistic measure,” said Happymon Jacob, an associate professor of diplomacy and disarmament at Jawaharlal Nehru University, as quoted by New York Times.