Book Review: ‘Trial by Water’ by Uttam Kumar Sinha

Book Title: Trial by Water: Indus Basin and India-Pakistan Relations
Author: Uttam Kumar Sinha
Publisher: Vintage Books
Number of Pages: 352
ISBN: 978-0143471028
Date Published: Jul. 31, 2025
Price: INR 390

Book Review

Uttam Kumar Sinha’s “Trial by Water: Indus Basin and India-Pakistan Relations” arrives at a moment of deep geopolitical resonance, offering both timely insight and historical depth. Anchored in the context of India’s recent move to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty following a tragic terrorist attack in Pahalgam, the book explores the intricate evolution of water diplomacy between the two nations. Sinha provides a meticulously researched account of the Treaty’s origins, negotiated under the shadow of Partition and brokered by the World Bank, underscoring how water became both a lifeline and a fault line in the subcontinent’s postcolonial saga. Through detailed accounts of canal systems, political stand-offs, and the symbolic weight of river-sharing, he reveals the Indus Basin not only as a hydrological asset but as a strategic tool shaping Indo-Pak relations.

Sinha’s work is equally notable for bringing multiple voices into the narrative—those of Nehru, Ayub Khan, the Abdullahs of Kashmir, and various Indian and Pakistani stakeholders—creating a nuanced mosaic of competing ideologies and regional claims. Particularly compelling is his focus on Jammu & Kashmir, where water politics intersect with contested sovereignty. The author traces how the Indus Waters Treaty, though a bilateral agreement, was frequently challenged by internal actors in both India and Pakistan. Sinha presents compelling evidence of how perceptions of unfair water distribution have shaped domestic narratives, especially in J&K, and how such internal dissent fed into broader diplomatic tensions. His portrait of key figures like Sheikh Abdullah and BK Nehru adds depth and complexity to the political maneuvers that shaped the region’s modern history.

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The second half of the book, covering the 1965 war and its link to river diplomacy, is especially illuminating. Sinha’s sharp eye for anecdote and his access to rare historical details—such as the sidelining of Pakistani generals due to sectarian biases and the resilience of India’s military-political leadership—makes for engaging and revealing reading. His comparison of military follies and strategic decisions on both sides contextualizes the war beyond battlefield heroics, showing it as a consequence of misjudged ambitions and underestimated adversaries.

Ultimately, “Trial by Water” is more than a history of a treaty—it is a lucid, deeply informed reflection on how geography, politics, and perception shape international relations. At a time when the India-Pakistan equation is once again at a critical juncture, this book offers not just perspective, but prescience.

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