MEA rejects 'illegal' tribunal's supplemental award on Indus water dispute

India has rejected the supplemental award by a so-called Court of Arbitration on Indus Waters Treaty, calling it 'illegal' and 'void', and denouncing its authority over hydroelectric project disputes

India on Friday has rejected the “supplemental award” issued by a "so-called Court of Arbitration", which was set up in violation of the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty. In a detailed five-point statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) denounced the tribunal as "illegal" and its proceedings as "per se void".

 

“Today, the illegal Court of Arbitration, purportedly constituted under the Indus Waters Treaty 1960, albeit in brazen violation of it, has issued what it characterises as a 'supplemental award' on its competence concerning the Kishenganga and Ratle hydroelectric projects in the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir,” the MEA said.

 

No legal recognition for the tribunal

Reiterating its long-standing position, the government said it does not recognise the legitimacy or legal standing of the arbitral body. “India has never recognised the existence in law of this so-called Court of Arbitration, and India’s position has all along been that the constitution of this so-called arbitral body is in itself a serious breach of the Indus Waters Treaty,” the MEA added.

 

It stated that any award or decision by such a forum “is illegal and per se void”.

Indus Waters Treaty placed in abeyance

The government reminded that the Indus Waters Treaty has been put in abeyance following the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, citing Pakistan’s continued support for cross-border terrorism. 

 

“Following the Pahalgam terrorist attack, India has in exercise of its rights as a sovereign nation under international law, placed the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance, until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism,” the MEA noted. India clarified that it is not bound by any treaty obligations while the agreement remains suspended.

 

The ministry further underlined that no court — certainly not an "illegally constituted" one — has jurisdiction to question India's sovereign decisions.

India terms arbitration a ‘charade’ backed by Pakistan

India accused Pakistan of orchestrating this move to avoid accountability for its alleged role in promoting terrorism. “This latest charade at Pakistan’s behest is yet another desperate attempt by it to escape accountability for its role as the global epicenter of terrorism,” the MEA said.

 

The statement went on to add, “Pakistan's resort to this fabricated arbitration mechanism is consistent with its decades-long pattern of deception and manipulation of international forums.”

India’s conditions for resuming treaty commitments

India has made it clear that the Indus Waters Treaty will remain suspended until Pakistan dismantles all terrorist infrastructure and funding networks, and takes concrete steps to eliminate terrorism from its soil.   

Why India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty, and what it means for Pakistan | India-Pakistan tension

 

India has also conveyed to Pakistan and the international community that any terror incident in India with links to Pakistan will be considered an act of escalation warranting a military response.

Background on the Indus Waters Treaty

Signed in 1960, the Indus Waters Treaty allocates the waters of six rivers between India and Pakistan. According to the agreement, Pakistan is allowed to use the waters of the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab, while India retains exclusive use of the Ravi, Beas and Sutlej rivers.

 

As part of the treaty, both countries agreed on terms that allow dam construction, data sharing and other cooperative measures. India has often described its adherence to the treaty as a goodwill gesture despite continued provocations from across the border.

 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier said, “Blood and water cannot flow together”, indicating that terrorist acts will directly affect the future of such cooperative agreements.