India rejects arbitration court’s decision on Indus Water Treaty

Islamabad: India has completely rejected the arbitration court’s decision on the Indus Water Treaty. At the same time, Pakistan has expressed happiness over the court’s decision. Pakistan on Saturday welcomed the Hague-based arbitration court’s decision on two hydropower projects in Jammu and Kashmir and indicated its willingness to negotiate with India on issues related to the Indus Water Treaty.

Pakistan said in a statement issued on Saturday that the “high priority” at this time is that “India and Pakistan find a way to a meaningful dialogue, including resolving the issue related to the Indus Water Treaty (IWT).” India on Friday completely rejected this decision, saying that it has never recognized the so-called framework of dispute resolution with Pakistan. In New Delhi, the Ministry of External Affairs, referring to the decision in the case related to Pakistan’s objections to the Kishanganga and Ratle hydropower projects, said that India rejects this so-called “supplementary decision”.

In its ruling, the arbitration tribunal said that India’s decision to suspend the Indus Water Treaty in April does not limit its power to decide on the dispute and its decision is binding on all parties. However, India never recognised the arbitration tribunal’s proceedings as Pakistan objected to the design of both projects under the provisions of the Indus Water Treaty. On the other hand, Pakistan called this decision a “big legal victory” and stressed that it is “a clear message that India cannot unilaterally suspend or bypass the treaty.” The Ministry of External Affairs slammed Pakistan and said that “this latest drama at the behest of Pakistan is another desperate attempt by it to avoid accountability for its role as a global hub of terrorism.”

The statement said, “Pakistan’s resort to this fabricated arbitration mechanism is in line with its decades-old trend of fraud and manipulation at international forums.” The Ministry of External Affairs said, “The illegal arbitration court, allegedly constituted under the Indus Water Treaty 1960, has issued a ‘supplementary decision’ in relation to the Kishanganga and Ratle hydroelectric projects in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir in blatant violation of it.” The Ministry of External Affairs said, “India has never legally recognized the existence of this so-called arbitration court.” The ministry said that India’s stand has always been that this so-called arbitration is not a legal decision. The constitution of the court itself is a serious violation of the Indus Water Treaty and any action taken by it and any decision taken by it as a result is therefore illegal. A day after the terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22, India took several punitive measures against Pakistan, including suspending the 1960 Indus Water Treaty.