Decentralization after the 18th Amendment

September 16, 2026 at 12:05 PM9 min read4 views

Leadership Newsletter

Twice-monthly insights on leading teams and organizations.

Newsletter preferences

In what can be called a landmark victory for Pakistan, a court of arbitration in The Hague has ruled that India cannot unilaterally suspend the Indus Waters Treaty, rejecting every argument New Delhi has used to justify holding the six-decade-old water-sharing agreement “in abeyance” since April 2025. The five-member court found that the treaty “remains fully in force” and that India “must observe its obligations” under it, including those governing the design and operation of hydropower projects on rivers that flow into Pakistan. India, which is officially a member of the court, said it did not recognize the court and "categorically" rejected the verdict. Although the ruling strengthens Pakistan's position, even if it offers no obvious way to force India's hand, it has once again brought into the limelight the hydropolitics being played over the treaty.

The adoption of the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan was one of the biggest milestones in the constitutional and governance history of Pakistan. The Amendment, which was passed in April 2010, reorganized the federation fundamentally by limiting the powers of the president, reinstating the supremacy of the parliament and most notably, devolving much legislative, administrative and fiscal powers...

Decentralization after the 18th Amendment

Related Articles

The Hydropolitics of the Indus Waters Treaty

Polio Eradication

Pakistan of the Modern Era

Members Only

Explore this article

About the Author