Dr Asma Akbar, M. Adeel Qaiser Hussain and Khurram Navid Hasan Malik
Dr Asma Akbar holds a PhD in Political Sciences from Vrije Universiteit Brussel. She is serving as Director BIC, Department of Political Science and International Relations, at the Women University Multan.
M. Adeel Qaiser Hussain holds an M.phil. in International Relations from School of International Relations, Minhaj University, Lahore.
Khurram Navid Hasan Malik is a PhD candidate and a visiting faculty member at COMSATS University Islamabad, Abbottabad Campus.
DOI: http://DOI Number
Keywords: Pakistan, India, environmental peacebuilding, conflict, cooperation, water/natural resources, disaster management
Abstract
This research spotlights the interlinked environmental dynamism between India and Pakistan. Pakistan and India geographically share the most risked environmental space on earth; the region of South Asia. Both countries have always been engaged in enduring geopolitical conflicts and water-sharing disputes. But in the contemporary era, both countries face dire environmental challenges that severely impact their populations and drive a wedge between both states. This paper assumes that both countries share inevitable and joint environmental dynamics that set the pace for cooperation in the environmental sector. Therefore, the paper examines the potential of environmental cooperation and the prospects of a peaceful relationship between both countries. It explores the factors responsible for this shared dynamic, mechanisms needed to be carried out, and prospects of the future relationship between the two countries. The research employs the environmental peacebuilding framework as a theoretical toolkit for the case in examination and opts for expert opinion, document analysis, and thematic analysis as the methodological tools to reach the findings. Findings illuminate that adopting the environmental peacebuilding approach suggests a pathway of cooperation rather than conflict. The research presents findings in collaborative resource management, joint adaptation, mitigation strategies, shared participation in renewable energy initiatives, cross-border disaster management plans, and shared environmental conservation efforts that both countries can employ to foster mutual trust and cooperation. The suggested outcomes of the three-pronged approach, consisting of reconceptualisation, reorientation, and restrategising, can address environmental challenges and resume the dialogue process between both countries, which has been halted because of multi- dimensional political and security issues. These can also serve as a foundation for improved bilateral relations between both countries for a sustainable and peaceful South Asian environment.
First Published
July 25, 2025
How to Cite
Asma Akbar, M. Adeel Qaiser Hussain & Khurram Navid Hasan Malik, “Weighing the Environmental Peacebuilding Dynamism between Pakistan and India: The Strategic Metamorphosis from Conflict to Cooperation,” Regional Studies 43, no.1 (Summer 2025): 34-51, https://regionalstudies.com.pk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/2.-Weighing-the-Environmental-Peacebuilding-Dynamism-Asma-2.pdf.
Issue
Volume 43, Issue 1