India Rejects The Hague Court Ruling to Restore Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan

India has formally rejected a ruling issued by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, which ordered the country to uphold the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan. India maintained that the tribunal lacks jurisdiction over the matter.

India previously suspended the treaty in April last year following an attack at a Kashmir tourist destination that resulted in 26 deaths, after identifying two of the three assailants as Pakistani. Pakistan has denied any involvement in the attack.

This ongoing standoff highlights the decades-long conflict over Kashmir as the central trigger behind the collapse of the historic water pact, pushing a framework that survived three previous wars past its breaking point. The 1960 agreement currently feeds 80 percent of Pakistan’s agricultural land through shared river systems.

India's rejection follows a Monday ruling by the international court stating that the pact remains fully binding and that India lacked justification for ending or suspending it. Furthermore, the tribunal ordered India to restrict construction on the Ratle Hydro-Electric Plant in Kashmir, banning work on the dam wall and power intake structure above specific levels until 90 days after a World Bank-appointed neutral expert issues a decision expected by July 2027.

The Indian Ministry of External Affairs stated that the country does not recognize the court and categorically rejected the verdict, despite India officially being a member of the court. In a statement, the ministry asserted that the court has no jurisdiction over India's sovereign decisions and that its current or future pronouncements will not affect India's actions regarding its projects.

Meanwhile, Pakistan welcomed the interim measures issued by the tribunal. Islamabad stated that its government is carefully reviewing the details of the decision to determine how best to facilitate a return to engagement under the treaty's binding legal obligations. Pakistan initiated legal action after India began work last year to increase reservoir holding capacity at two hydroelectric projects in the Kashmir region, which Islamabad viewed as a tangible step by India to operate outside the parameters of the treaty.