Pakistan, Aug. 3 -- In 2025, Pakistan is struggling to avert a full-blown trade crisis with the United States while simultaneously facing the politically combustible terrain of water resource tensions at home. At stake is not just foreign currency inflow or agricultural output, but the delicate social fabric and institutional integrity of the nation. These two seemingly disparate developments-Pakistan's high-stakes negotiations with Washington over tariff reductions and the boiling controversy surrounding the Cholistan Canal Project and the Indus Waters Treaty-are emblematic of deeper, interconnected challenges confronting the country's sovereignty, economy, and cohesion.

In recent months, Pakistan's exports have faced the looming specte...