India rejects Hague court's interim award on Indus Waters Treaty
India categorically rejects the Hague Arbitration Court's interim measures and status ruling on the Indus Waters Treaty, reiterating the treaty remains suspended.
India has firmly rejected the interim measures and the status determination made by the Hague Arbitration Court regarding the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Monday. New Delhi asserted that it has never recognised the existence of the Court of Arbitration on the treaty.
The MEA reiterated that India's decision to keep the IWT in abeyance remains in force. The statement comes in response to the court's ruling that the treaty remains "fully in force" and that India had no justification for suspending it.
The Hague-based court also directed India to limit work on a hydroelectric plant in the Kashmir region. It further noted that a neutral expert appointed by the World Bank would decide by July 2027 whether the construction of hydroelectric plants in the Himalayan region complies with the treaty.
The Indus Waters Treaty, signed in 1960, governs the sharing of the Indus river system between India and Pakistan. Under the pact, Pakistan controls the waters of the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab rivers, while India controls the Ravi, Beas and Sutlej.
India suspended the treaty after a terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir, killed 26 tourists, stating that "blood and water cannot flow together." Following the suspension, India also carried out strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Separately, Chenab Valley Power Projects recently sought diversion of about 197 hectares of forest land for the Kirthai Stage-II Hydroelectric Project on the Chenab river in Kishtwar district. This project is among several in the Indus basin that India has sought to expedite after putting the treaty on hold.