Srinagar, April 26 -- It took a horrific tragedy - the attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 people - for Delhi to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty, one of the world's most celebrated but deeply unequal water-sharing agreements. In the rush of diplomatic expulsions and border shutdowns, one voice stood out.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, speaking bluntly, said, "Let's be honest, we have never been in favour of the Indus Water Treaty. It has been the most unfair document to our people."

The treaty, signed in 1960 between Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Pakistan's Ayub Khan, with the World Bank as broker, divided rivers like lines on a map. Kashmir wasn't even consulted.

The Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab - rivers that nourish...