India rejects ‘illegal’ Indus tribunal ruling, says treaty obligations in abeyance

India has strongly dismissed a recent "supplemental award" issued by a so-called Court of Arbitration concerning the Indus Waters Treaty, declaring both the tribunal and its decisions as “illegal and void.” The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) reiterated that the arbitral body, which ruled on its jurisdiction over the Kishenganga and Ratle hydroelectric projects in Jammu and Kashmir, was constituted in violation of the 1960 treaty.

In a firm statement, the MEA said India has never recognised the legal standing of this court and views its formation as a fundamental breach of the treaty's provisions. As a result, India considers all proceedings and rulings by the tribunal, including the latest supplemental award, to be null and void.

India further stated that its obligations under the Indus Waters Treaty are currently suspended, following Pakistan’s alleged support for the terrorist attack in Pahalgam. The government has made it clear that until Pakistan takes credible and irreversible steps to end cross-border terrorism, India will not resume its responsibilities under the agreement.

The MEA accused Pakistan of misusing international legal forums to deflect attention from its role in sponsoring terrorism, calling the arbitration a “charade at Pakistan’s behest.”

The Indus Waters Treaty, brokered by the World Bank in 1960, governs water-sharing between India and Pakistan. However, New Delhi maintains that any third-party adjudication on treaty-related matters during this period of abeyance is entirely unacceptable and lacks legal legitimacy.