India calls arbitration panel ‘unlawful’, links treaty suspension to Pakistan’s continued support for terrorism.
New Delhi has strongly rejected a “supplemental award” issued by what it calls an “illegal” Court of Arbitration linked to the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty. India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), in a pointed five-point statement, said the tribunal was “unlawfully constituted” and its actions were in “brazen violation” of the treaty itself.
At the heart of the row are India’s Kishenganga and Ratle hydroelectric plants, both situated in Jammu and Kashmir, which Pakistan claims violate treaty provisions.
India maintains that it never accepted the authority of this so-called arbitration panel, stating clearly that it has “no legal existence” and any decisions it issues are “null and void.”
The MEA further blamed Pakistan for forcing the treaty into abeyance, especially after repeated terror attacks with proven links to Pakistani soil. Referring to the recent Pahalgam attack, India said it had invoked its sovereign rights under international law to suspend its obligations under the treaty.
“This bogus arbitration is just another ploy by Pakistan to divert international attention from its status as a hub of terrorism,” the statement said.
India accused Islamabad of manipulating international mechanisms instead of taking real steps to dismantle terror infrastructure. India also warned that any future attack with Pakistani links would be treated as an escalation, warranting a military response—even across the border.
The Indus Waters Treaty, brokered by the World Bank in 1960, had originally divided river rights—India retained full control over the eastern rivers (Ravi, Beas, Sutlej), while Pakistan got use of the western ones (Indus, Jhelum, Chenab).
India has made it plain: the Indus Waters Treaty will not resume until Pakistan dismantles every trace of its terror networks and shuts down all sources of terror financing.
Prime Minister Modi’s words echo clearly— “Blood and water cannot flow together.”
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