Hague Tribunal Orders India to Uphold Water Treaty; India Rejects Ruling

An international tribunal on Monday ordered India to observe its obligations under the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan, which the New Delhi government had sought to suspend.

The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague also issued an order prohibiting India from carrying out works at two hydro-electric projects. The tribunal stated that the Indus Waters Treaty remains fully in force. Pakistan welcomed the decision from the international arbitration panel. Hours after the ruling, India rejected the Permanent Court of Arbitration's order.

India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated that the very establishment of this alleged arbitral body was questioned by India. The MEA called the body illegally constituted and asserted that it has no jurisdiction over India's sovereign decisions. India's decision to keep the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance remains in force, according to the MEA.

India had suspended the treaty in April last year amid bilateral tensions. The court's order specifically addresses India's construction of hydroelectric projects on the Indus and associated rivers, requiring them to conform to the treaty.