MEA rejects Pakistan-backed Court of Arbitration ruling on Indus Waters Treaty

NEW DELHI: India on Saturday once again rejected the constitution of the Court of Arbitration under the Indus Waters Treaty, declaring the decision as ‘null and void.’External affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that India had never recognised the establishment of the court and would not accept any proceedings, awards or decisions issued by it.“The illegally constituted so-called Court of Arbitration (CoA) has, on 15 May 2026, issued what it termed an award concerning maximum pondage supplemental to the award on issues of general interpretation of the Indus Waters Treaty,” Jaiswal said in response to media queries.“India categorically rejects the present so-called award, just as it has firmly rejected all prior pronouncements of the illegally constituted CoA,” he added.Jaiswal further asserted that any proceedings conducted by the tribunal held no legal validity from India’s perspective.“India has never recognised the establishment of this so-called CoA. Any proceeding, award, or decision issued by it is null and void,” he said.He also reiterated that India’s decision to keep the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance remained unchanged.“India’s decision to hold the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance remains in force,” the MEA spokesperson said.This comes after the Court of Arbitration on May 15 issued an award linked to the ‘maximum pondage’ issue under the Indus Waters Treaty. India has consistently maintained that the court was constituted in violation of the treaty and has repeatedly rejected its jurisdiction over disputes related to the Kishenganga and Ratle hydropower projects in Jammu and Kashmir.Last year too, India had dismissed a supplemental award issued by the court, describing the arbitration mechanism as a ‘charade at Pakistan’s behest’ and accusing Islamabad of misusing international forums while continuing support for cross-border terrorism.The Indus Waters Treaty, signed between India and Pakistan in 1960 with the World Bank as facilitator, governs the sharing of waters of the Indus river system between the two countries.Under the treaty, the total waters of the eastern rivers, Sutlej, Beas and Ravi was allocated to India for unrestricted use while the waters of western rivers, Indus, Jhelum and Chenab was allocated largely to Pakistan.India is, however, permitted to use the water of western rivers for domestic use, irrigation and generation of hydro-electric power. But India has not been fully utilising its legal share due to lack of storage capacity.