India rejects Hague court order to restore Indus waters pact with Pakistan
tags:New Delhi says the Permanent Court of Arbitration has no jurisdiction over its sovereign choices following the suspension of the accord over Kashmir security concerns.
India has rejected a ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ordering it to uphold the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan, saying the tribunal has no jurisdiction over the matter.
India suspended the treaty in April last year after identifying two of three assailants as Pakistani in an attack that killed 26 people at a Kashmir tourist destination. Pakistan denied any involvement in the attack.
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The standoff places the decades-long conflict over Kashmir as the primary trigger behind the collapse of the historic water pact, pushing a framework that had endured three wars past its breaking point. Under the 1960 agreement, these shared river systems feed 80 percent of Pakistan’s agricultural land.
India’s rejection follows the international court’s ruling on Monday that the pact remains fully binding and that India had no justification for ending or suspending it.
The tribunal ordered India to limit construction on the Ratle Hydro-Electric Plant in Kashmir, prohibiting work on the dam wall and power intake structure above certain levels. These restrictions will remain in place until 90 days after a World Bank-appointed neutral expert delivers a decision, expected by July 2027.
The Indian Ministry of External Affairs, however, said the country does not recognise the court and “categorically” rejected the verdict.
India is officially a member of the court.
“This so-called Court of Arbitration has no jurisdiction whatsoever to pronounce on India’s sovereign decisions,” the ministry said in a statement.
“Its pronouncements, now or in the future, will have no effect on India’s actions in connection with the projects being undertaken by India.”
Pakistan welcomed the tribunal’s interim measures and said that its government is carefully considering the details of the decision to determine how it can best assist in finding a pathway back to engagement under the treaty’s binding legal obligations.
Islamabad mounted the legal action after India began work last year to boost reservoir holding capacity at two hydroelectric projects in the Kashmir region. Pakistan viewed the expansion as a first tangible step by India to operate outside agreements covered by the treaty.