Hague Court Rules India Cannot Unilaterally Suspend Indus Waters Treaty

A court of arbitration in The Hague ruled on Monday that India cannot unilaterally suspend the Indus Waters Treaty, rejecting India's arguments for holding the six-decade-old water-sharing agreement in abeyance since April 2025.

The five-member court issued an unanimous decision, finding the treaty remains fully in force and that India must observe its obligations under it. This ruling is the first time an international court has ruled on the legal validity of India's decision to place the treaty in abeyance. The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague also ordered India to limit construction on the Ratle hydroelectric plant in Kashmir, prohibiting work on the dam wall and power intake structure above certain levels.

This order remains in place until 90 days after a World Bank-appointed neutral expert delivers a final decision, expected before July 2027. Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar welcomed the PCA's ruling via social media, stating it vindicates Pakistan's consistent position that a binding international treaty cannot be unilaterally suspended or set aside. India announced its decision to suspend the treaty in April 2025, following a deadly attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir, for which it blamed Pakistan.

Islamabad denies involvement in the attack, which killed 26 civilians. The Indus Waters Treaty, brokered by the World Bank in 1960, governs the use of rivers in the Indus basin, granting India unrestricted access to eastern rivers and Pakistan rights to western rivers. The treaty has endured three wars and prolonged diplomatic tensions. India has rejected the jurisdiction of the PCA in this case, stating that the so-called Court of Arbitration has no jurisdiction whatsoever to pronounce on India's sovereign decisions.

India's Ministry of External Affairs said its pronouncements will have no effect on India's actions. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, addressing the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit on Tuesday, described water as the lifeblood of the region and said it must never be weaponized for political leverage. He stated that treaties governing shared waters are solemn binding international commitments that must be honoured unconditionally.