India on Monday rejected the latest “award” issued by the Court of Arbitration (CoA) concerning the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), calling the body “illegally constituted”. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) maintained that India does not recognise the tribunal or its pronouncements and reiterated that the treaty remains in abeyance.

The MEA said the so-called Court of Arbitration was constituted by the World Bank in violation of the terms of the Indus Waters Treaty. India has consistently opposed the creation of the arbitral body and has maintained that it has no jurisdiction over India’s sovereign decisions related to projects on the Indus river system.

According to the MEA, India has neither appeared before the tribunal nor taken cognisance of its earlier pronouncements. The ministry maintained that any decisions issued by the body, including the latest award and future pronouncements, would have no effect on India’s actions concerning hydroelectric projects being undertaken by the country.

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The latest development followed an award by the Court of Arbitration on the “Status” of the Indus Waters Treaty, along with an order concerning interim measures related to the Ratle Hydro-Electric Plant. The tribunal held that India must continue observing its obligations under the treaty, including provisions concerning the design and operation of hydroelectric projects on the Western Rivers.

The Indus Waters Treaty was signed by India and Pakistan on September 19, 1960, to govern the utilisation of the waters of the Indus river system. The agreement divides the use of the river waters between the two countries and has remained an important framework for managing their shared water resources.

India has maintained that its decision to keep the treaty in abeyance remains in force. The government linked the decision to the Pahalgam terror attack and stated that the treaty would remain in abeyance until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably ends its support for cross-border terrorism. In June, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had reiterated the same position during a weekly media briefing in New Delhi.

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