August 31, 2026<\/a><\/p>\nIn its statement, the MEA strongly rejected the latest ruling. \u201cToday, the illegally constituted so-called Court of Arbitration has issued what it termed as an award concerning Interim Measures and Status of the Indus Waters Treaty,\u201d the ministry said.<\/p>\n
The MEA further stated that the so-called Court had been constituted by the World Bank in what India described as a \u201cpatent breach\u201d of the terms of the treaty. India, it said, categorically rejected the latest award, just as it had rejected all previous pronouncements issued by the body.<\/p>\n
India has maintained that the arbitration mechanism itself is illegitimate. The MEA said New Delhi had never recognised the existence in law of the \u201cillegally constituted\u201d Court of Arbitration and had consistently argued that the establishment of the body represented a grave violation of the Indus Waters Treaty.<\/p>\n
The ministry made clear that the Court had \u201cno jurisdiction whatsoever to pronounce on India\u2019s sovereign decisions.\u201d It added that its pronouncements, whether issued now or in the future, would have no effect on India\u2019s actions in connection with projects being undertaken by the country. India\u2019s decision to keep the treaty in abeyance, the MEA reiterated, remains in force.<\/p>\n
India rejects court\u2019s claim that treaty remains in force<\/p>\n
The so-called Court of Arbitration took a position that India has firmly rejected, asserting that the Indus Waters Treaty remained fully in force despite New Delhi\u2019s decision to place the agreement in abeyance.<\/p>\n
According to the ruling, the tribunal claimed that \u201cnone of these grounds could justify suspension or termination of the Treaty\u201d and stated that \u201cthe Indus Waters Treaty remains fully in force, and India must observe its obligations under the Treaty.\u201d<\/p>\n
The so-called Court further claimed that India must continue to meet obligations relating to the design and operation of hydroelectric projects on the Western Rivers, including matters concerning the Ratle Hydro-Electric Plant in Jammu and Kashmir. It also issued interim measures concerning aspects of the project.<\/p>\n
India has categorically rejected these assertions, maintaining that the Court of Arbitration was illegally constituted and has no jurisdiction whatsoever to pronounce on India\u2019s sovereign decisions. New Delhi has consistently refused to recognise the legal existence of the body or participate in its proceedings.<\/p>\n
The dispute concerns the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty between India and Pakistan. India has made it clear that the so-called Court\u2019s pronouncements, whether issued now or in the future, will have no bearing on India\u2019s sovereign decisions or projects. The government has also reiterated that its decision to keep the treaty in abeyance remains in force.<\/p>\n
For New Delhi, the issue goes beyond a technical dispute over water and hydroelectric projects. The Indus Waters Treaty has become closely linked to India\u2019s wider concerns over national security, cross-border terrorism, sovereignty and Pakistan-sponsored terror. India\u2019s rejection of the latest ruling reinforces its position that an externally constituted arbitration body cannot dictate the country\u2019s sovereign decisions regarding its rivers, water resources and national interests.<\/p>\n
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