Hydro-securitization in the Indus River basin: An analysis of Indo-Pakistani security frames

Abstract: The animosities between India and Pakistan have been continuous since partition of British India over seven decades ago. Disputes over Kashmir and the rivers flowing through the region can be said to represent a nucleus of the tensions between the two countries. Due to environmental stress and population growth, hydropolitics is persistently being set under pressure. Three security frames, national, environmental and human security, will be presented and analysed in order to examine which framing is the dominant one. In the Indo-Pakistani context, elite decision-makers and state representatives consequently link the water discourse to the nation as such, thus encapsulating notions of national security with water issues on both sides of the border. By means of Securitization theory and frame analysis, this thesis seeks to investigate these acts of securitizing by analysing ‘speech act’ conducted by the actors in question, and how consolidation of the national security frame prevails. In addition, the riparian positions of the two countries have lead to a view of India’s hydroelectric projects through a security lens from Pakistan’s perspective. Through construction of the threatening ‘other’, heightened tensions can be maintained to turn away focus from domestic discontent and cementing political power.