Pakistan Unveils Ancient City Excavations Amid Tensions with India Over Indus Waters Treaty

Pakistan has been teaching students for years that its history began with the conquest of Sindh by Muhammad bin Qasim in 712 CE. But the country has begun new excavations at Mohenjo-daro of the Indus Valley Civilisation. The site had remained largely untouched since the excavations of American archaeologist George Dales in 1965. Excavations in the 5,000-year-old city began in June 2025. This development came a few months after India launched Operation Sindoor and suspended the Indus Waters Treaty. Pakistan was left red-faced when India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty after the Pahalgam attack. Bilawal Bhutto, head of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), linked Pakistan's opposition to India's suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty to a civilisational claim. He cited Mohenjo-daro and the Indus Valley Civilisation to argue that Pakistan is the "real custodian" of the Indus. He said this is why Pakistan continues to assert its "rightful claim to the river and its historical legacy of pre-Indus civilisation Pakistan and Islam."