Some headway has been by Islamabad to sign a formal water treaty with Kabul in the near future. As per media reports, Pakistan is about to start talks with Afghanistan to secure a bilateral treaty for the use of water related to the Kabul River. The main reason for the latest development is stated to be India’s support to Afghanistan in building a water reservoir on the Kabul River. The main source of water conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan is the River Kabul, which is a 700-kilometre long river that starts in the Sanglakh Range of the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan and ends in the Indus River near Attock, Pakistan. The river irrigates lands in the cities of Kabul and Jalalabad in Afghanistan before flowing into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Kabul alleges that Islamabad benefits from water flow coming from Afghanistan without giving any benefits to the former while Pakistan has an argument that the main sources of the River Kabul originate from the Pakistani territory. In any case, a dispute of a serious magnitude between the two neighbourly states cannot be ruled out in the absence of a formal water sharing agreement. Given the fact that Islamabad and Kabul have not been on good terms due to the ongoing blame game on the issue of terrorism, this new conflict can lead to more serious problems. It would be better for Pakistan to resolve this issue at the earliest. In the absence of a treaty over water rights to the Kabul River, this mess cannot be sorted out. This is a long overdue initiative that should have been taken many years ago. Moreover, water demand in Kabul City and within its adjoining areas is likely to increase with the passage of time. In order to cope with its water needs, the Afghanistan government is already working on a number of plans to build hydro-electric power and irrigation diversion projects with the support of India. Once implemented, such projects will affect water flow into Pakistan. A net reduction in the Kabul River flow into Pakistan is likely to have adverse effects on the livelihoods of Pakistanis. The likelihood of eventual conflict is significantly increased, because in this region water security is as important as national security. In order to better cope with the challenge, both states need to enhance the level of cooperation on sharing their respective water resources. A formal water treaty is the need of the hour to maintain regional stability and security between two countries as well as to ensure economic development. Negotiations should be started between both countries to have a formal water treaty as per the international laws in order to ensure equal distribution of water resources lying between the two neighbourly states. Such an agreement would help both the countries to achieve their needed resources and live in peace. *