India rejects Hague tribunal ruling on Indus Waters Treaty, calls it ‘illegally constituted’

India has rejected a ruling by a World Bank-constituted arbitration panel in The Hague on the Indus Waters Treaty, maintaining that the body was created in violation of the 1960 agreement and has no jurisdiction over New Delhi’s decisions.

The Embassy of India in Washington DC reiterated India’s position on August 31, saying the tribunal’s interim measures and its observations on the status of the treaty have no legal standing.

“India’s position is clear and consistent,” the embassy said in a post on X. It said India had never recognised the Court of Arbitration, had not participated in its proceedings and would not be bound by its decisions.

The embassy also said decisions concerning the Indus Waters Treaty remained within India’s sovereign authority and maintained that the treaty continues to remain in abeyance.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) echoed the position, rejecting the legitimacy of the arbitration process and arguing that the court was constituted in breach of the treaty.

India has consistently refused to participate in the proceedings, arguing that the arbitration mechanism itself was established in violation of the agreement. The MEA said the tribunal therefore had no jurisdiction to rule on India’s sovereign decisions or on projects being undertaken by the country.

The ministry added that the tribunal’s current and future pronouncements would have no bearing on India’s actions related to those projects.

The response came after the arbitration panel said India’s reasons for putting the treaty in abeyance did not provide grounds for suspending or terminating the agreement. The panel maintained that the Indus Waters Treaty remains in force and called on India to continue complying with its obligations under the pact.

India placed the treaty in abeyance following the April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack, which killed civilians and sharply escalated tensions between India and Pakistan.

Signed in 1960 with the World Bank’s involvement, the Indus Waters Treaty governs the sharing of the waters of the Indus river system between the two countries. India has since maintained that cross-border terrorism and the changed security environment have fundamentally altered the circumstances under which the agreement was being implemented.

New Delhi’s latest response makes clear that it does not recognise the Hague proceedings as legally binding and intends to retain control over decisions concerning the treaty and water-related projects.