Pakistan presses for Indus Waters Treaty revival, India rejects international court's jurisdiction

Pakistan has lauded a decision by the Permanent Court of Arbitration on the design norms for India’s planned run-of-river hydropower projects over the Chenab, Jhelum and Indus, claiming it affirms Islamabad’s stance on the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), whose implementation New Delhi suspended after the Pahalgam terror attack, according to a report by ToI.

India put the treaty’s implementation in abeyance after the April terror attack in Pahalgam.

The court reportedly held that India must “let flow” the waters of the Western Rivers for Pakistan’s unrestricted use, with exceptions for hydropower generation strictly conforming to treaty requirements.

“The specified exceptions for generation of hydro-electric plants must conform strictly to the requirements laid down in the treaty, rather than to what India might consider an ‘ideal’ or ‘best practices’ approach,” Pakistan’s foreign office said Monday.

India never accepted court’s jurisdiction

New Delhi has never recognised the PCA’s jurisdiction in the matter, insisting instead on using the neutral expert mechanism under the treaty.

Sources quoted by ToI recalled that India had earlier notified its intent to seek modification of the IWT, following prolonged disputes over the Kishanganga and Ratle projects in Jammu and Kashmir.

India has also maintained that the World Bank’s 2022 decision to simultaneously activate both a neutral expert and the Court of Arbitration — at Pakistan’s insistence — on the same issues was unacceptable, citing “practical and legal challenges” of concurrent proceedings.

While India’s official response to the latest ruling is expected Wednesday, officials say the IWT will remain in abeyance until Pakistan takes credible action against cross-border terrorism.

Ruling comes amid Pakistan's nuclear rhetoric

The court’s decision comes in the backdrop of recent nuclear war warnings by Pakistan’s army chief, Gen Asim Munir, and combative remarks by senior leaders.

The Ministry of External Affairs had earlier described such comments as “nuclear sabre-rattling,” calling it Pakistan’s “stock-in-trade.”

Pakistan reiterated Monday that it remains committed to implementing the IWT and urged India to resume its “normal functioning.”

Munir’s nuclear remark, Sharif’s warning on water flows
The renewed push on the treaty comes even Pakistan’s leadership made hardline comments targeting India.

In Tampa, Florida, Pakistan Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir told expatriates that any reduction in water reaching Pakistan would prompt the destruction of Indian infrastructure. Issuing a nuclear threat, he said:

“We are a nuclear nation. If we think we are going down, we’ll take half the world down with us.”

In Islamabad on Tuesday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif linked any restriction on flows from India directly to a breach of the IWT. “The enemy cannot snatch even a single drop of water from Pakistan. You threatened to stop our water — if you try, Pakistan will teach you a lesson you will never forget,” he said, calling water Pakistan’s lifeline and pledging not to compromise on its treaty rights, according to Geo News.

Signed in 1960 after nine years of negotiations mediated by the World Bank, the Indus Waters Treaty gives Pakistan control over the western rivers — Indus, Jhelum and Chenab — and India rights over the eastern rivers — Ravi, Beas and Sutlej — with limited provisions for use of each other’s waters. Despite decades of conflict, it has largely endured, though it has drawn criticism in India for favouring Pakistan even as it continues to support terrorism.

(With inputs from ToI)