Kashmir Impulse Desk
New Delhi, Aug 31
India on Monday rejected a Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling that the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan remained in force, saying the tribunal had no jurisdiction to rule on India’s sovereign decisions.
The Ministry of External Affairs said India did not recognise the arbitration court and would not accept its award.
“The Court of Arbitration has no jurisdiction whatsoever to pronounce on India’s sovereign decisions,” the ministry said.
India put the 1960 treaty in abeyance after the April 2025 attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 civilians. New Delhi has said the treaty will remain in abeyance until Pakistan “credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism”.
Pakistan approached the arbitration court in March to seek a ruling on the status of the treaty.
The court said none of the grounds cited by India could justify suspension or termination of the treaty.
It said the treaty remained in force and India was bound by its provisions, including those governing the design and operation of hydroelectric projects on the Western Rivers.
The court said India had not participated in the proceedings but that it had considered India’s position from official communications and public statements.
It also considered India’s allegation that Pakistan’s support for cross-border terrorism had affected India’s rights under the treaty.
The court said that even if the allegation were accepted, it would not amount to a material breach of the treaty by Pakistan.
The treaty governs the use of the waters of the Indus River system and does not address terrorism or the use of force, the court said.
India said the ruling would not affect its actions concerning projects under way in Jammu and Kashmir.
