India on Monday rejected an award issued by the Court of Arbitration in The Hague over the Indus Waters Treaty, saying the body was “illegally constituted” and has no jurisdiction over India’s sovereign decisions.
The ruling relates to interim measures and the status of the Indus Waters Treaty, which governs the sharing of the Indus river system between India and Pakistan. It added that any present or future pronouncements by the body would have no effect on India’s actions, including projects being undertaken by the country. India also made it clear that its decision to keep the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance remains unchanged. India’s position comes amid continued tensions between the two neighbouring countries, with the Indus Waters Treaty becoming a key point of contention in bilateral relations.
The treaty was signed in September 1960 to regulate the use and sharing of the Indus river system between India and Pakistan. India placed the treaty in abeyance after the April 22, 2025, Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 people.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the Court of Arbitration was set up by the World Bank in violation of the terms of the treaty. India said it has never recognised the legal existence of the body and has consistently rejected its proceedings and earlier pronouncements. India also said it has never appeared before the Court of Arbitration and has refused to take any notice of its earlier decisions. The court has no authority to rule on India’s sovereign decisions, according to the government. New Delhi had said that water cooperation could not continue while cross-border terrorism remained a concern. In June, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India had suspended the treaty and would keep it in abeyance until Pakistan takes concrete steps to end cross-border terrorism. “We have suspended the Indus Waters Treaty and kept it in abeyance until Pakistan completely stops cross-border terrorism,” Jaiswal said while responding to a question on a statement issued by Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry during a weekly media briefing in New Delhi. Recently Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Pakistan Independence day warned that Islamabad would not compromise on the water issue, calling it a “red line”.
The latest statement is in line with India’s earlier position that the Court of Arbitration was not validly constituted under the treaty and that its decisions have no bearing on India’s actions.
India’s Stance on the 1960 Water Treaty with Pakistan
India’s Ambassador to the United States, Vinay Kwatra, recently addressed concerns regarding the 1960 water treaty between India and Pakistan. He emphasized that the treaty was established in a spirit of goodwill but has been undermined by Pakistan’s actions over the past fifty years. Despite this, India has continued to honor the treaty, which allocates the eastern rivers to India and the western rivers to Pakistan.
Kwatra stated that India suspended its obligations under the treaty following the Pahalgam terror attack, invoking its rights under international law. He asserted that India would not resume full engagement until Pakistan effectively addresses its support for cross-border terrorism. He cited multiple terror attacks as evidence of Pakistan’s failure to curb such activities and accused Pakistan of hindering Indian hydropower initiatives through delays and opposition.
Furthermore, Kwatra rejected Pakistan’s characterization of India as a ‘water aggressor,’ attributing Pakistan’s water issues to domestic mismanagement rather than Indian actions. He reiterated India’s position that any constructive dialogue must first involve dismantling Pakistan’s terror infrastructure, stating that ‘terror and talks’ cannot coexist, nor can ‘water and blood.’
