India has rejected a ruling by a World Bank‑constituted arbitration panel in The Hague, saying the tribunal was formed in breach of the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty and has no jurisdiction over New Delhi’s decisions. The Embassy of India in Washington, D.C., reiterated the position on August 31, stating the panel’s interim measures and its observations on the treaty’s status “have no legal standing.”
“India’s position is clear and consistent,” the embassy said in a post on X, adding that India never recognised the Court of Arbitration, did not take part in its proceedings and will not be bound by its decisions. The embassy also said decisions about the Indus Waters Treaty remain within India’s sovereign authority and that the treaty continues to be held in abeyance.
The Ministry of External Affairs echoed that view, rejecting the legitimacy of the arbitration process and arguing the court was constituted in violation of the treaty. The MEA said the tribunal therefore lacks jurisdiction to rule on India’s sovereign choices or on projects India is undertaking, and that the tribunal’s current and future pronouncements “would have no bearing” on India’s actions related to those projects.
The government’s response followed the arbitration panel’s determination that India’s reasons for placing the treaty in abeyance did not justify suspending or terminating the agreement. The tribunal said the Indus Waters Treaty remains in force and called on India to continue complying with its obligations under the pact.
India put the treaty in abeyance after the April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack, which killed civilians and sharply escalated tensions with Pakistan. The 1960 treaty, brokered with World Bank involvement, governs the sharing of waters from the Indus river system between the two countries. New Delhi says cross‑border terrorism and the changed security environment have fundamentally altered the circumstances for implementing the accord.
By formally rejecting the Hague panel’s authority, New Delhi has made clear it does not regard the arbitration proceedings as legally binding and intends to retain control over decisions on the treaty and related water projects.
Original Source: https://www.indiatodayne.in/national/story/india-rejects-hague-tribunal-ruling-on-indus-waters-treaty-calls-it-illegally-constituted-1445157-2026-09-01?utm_source=rssfeed
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Publish Date: 2026-09-01 08:16:00
