India has strongly rejected a ruling by the World Bank-constituted Court of Arbitration over the Indus Waters Treaty, rejecting the tribunal’s authority and calling its decisions legally invalid.
In a strongly worded statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated that India has never recognised the arbitration panel, did not participate in its proceedings and would not be bound by its rulings. New Delhi also reiterated that the Indus Waters Treaty remains in abeyance.
The MEA statement issued on Monday, 31 August 2026, came after the Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled that India’s reasons for putting the treaty on hold did not justify its suspension or termination.
The panel called on India to continue observing its obligations under the 1960 water-sharing agreement. India, however, rejected the ruling, arguing that the arbitration panel itself was established in violation of the terms of the treaty.
India has maintained that this panel has no jurisdiction whatsoever over our sovereign decisions concerning the treaty or its infrastructure projects that are there.
It may be recalled that New Delhi had suspended the Indus Waters Treaty following the Pahalgam terror attack in April last year, citing national security concerns and continued cross-border terrorism aid and abetted by Pakistan.
India has always maintained that its decision on the Indus Waters Treaty is a sovereign matter and that statements or rulings by the arbitration panel will not affect its actions related to water and infrastructure projects.
