Pakistan, March 1 -- It seems that the recent news regarding the completion of the Shahpur Kandi barrage and the complete stoppage of water from River Ravi has fallen on deaf ears in Pakistan. There is a haunting silence over the matter except for a few hours of media coverage and a few newspaper stories highlighting the public outcry. However, the fact that there has been no discussion on the real challenges that lie ahead is equally distressing.

The Indo-Pak water dispute that was given to the two countries as a partition gift, divided the basin between India and Pakistan, leading to disagreements over water rights and allocations primarily around the sharing of river waters originating from the Indus Basin. However, after decades, the...