Pakistan claims 'big win' on Indus Water Treaty in arbitration court – Here’s how India dashes celebrations
Indus Water Treaty: Pakistan has repeatedly tried to raise the issue at the international level in an attempt to put diplomatic pressure on India through international institutions. India, however, has shown no change in its position on the matter.
by Zee Media Bureau · Zee NewsNew Delhi: Pakistan has once again tried to turn the Indus Waters Treaty dispute into an international issue after claiming a legal victory against India at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague. Islamabad said the court backed its position and ruled that the treaty between the two countries is still legally valid. New Delhi, however, rejected the entire process and dismissed the court’s authority. It also made it clear that its position on suspending the treaty has not changed.
The latest round of tensions around the treaty comes at a time when relations between the two countries have worsened after the Pahalgam terror attack last year. Following the deadly attack, India announced that it was putting the 1960 water sharing agreement in abeyance. The decision led to strong reactions from Pakistan.
According to Pakistani media reports, the arbitration court upheld its earlier stand and said India could not unilaterally suspend the treaty. The tribunal, as per reports, stated that the agreement continued to be legally binding on both countries and that neither side could walk away from it on its own. The court also said the legal arrangement governing the sharing of water from the Indus river system was still applicable to both India and Pakistan.
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Islamabad projected the ruling as a diplomatic and legal win and argued that it exposed India’s refusal to engage with international mechanisms related to the treaty. Pakistani analysts and commentators also claimed the ruling strengthened the World Bank-backed arrangement under which the agreement was originally signed.
Why India rejects arbitration process
India has flatly rejected the proceedings of the Permanent Court of Arbitration from the beginning. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the so-called court of arbitration had been formed illegally and that all its decisions and proceedings were invalid.
The Indian government also made it clear that its decision to keep the treaty suspended would continue. Officials in New Delhi said India had never accepted the legal standing of the arbitration court and therefore was under no obligation to follow any ruling coming from it.
This is not the first time the country has dismissed the court’s role in the dispute. Last year too, the MEA criticised the arbitration process and said the tribunal had no legal basis in India’s view.
Why Pakistan is fighting to keep Indus Treaty alive
The Indus Waters Treaty was signed between India and Pakistan in 1960 with the World Bank acting as a mediator. The agreement laid down how the waters of the Indus river system would be shared between the two countries. For decades, the treaty survived multiple wars and long periods of political tension between New Delhi and Islamabad.
For Pakistan, the treaty has a direct impact on agriculture, electricity generation and daily water supply. A large part of the country depends on rivers flowing from India, and any drop in water flow could affect farming and livelihoods across several regions.
This is one reason Pakistan tried to raise the issue before international bodies. Along with approaching the Permanent Court of Arbitration, Islamabad also attempted to bring international attention to the matter at forums, including the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
Pakistan’s larger aim has been to present the treaty dispute as an international concern and put diplomatic pressure on India. New Delhi, however, has continued to maintain that its stand on the suspension of the treaty will not change.