As an aftermath of the Pahalgam incident in which 26 tourists were killed, India initiated a series of aggressive diplomatic actions, which among other retaliatory measures, suspended the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), which governs the distribution of river waters between India and Pakistan.

The suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty brings into question the legitimacy of India’s action, considering the following:

India initiated this action immediately after the incident with no credible evidence of Pakistan’s involvement in the Pahalgam tragedy. This points towards the intention of exploiting the incident scenario to build up a case for the suspension of the treaty.

• The Indus Waters Treaty is between three parties — India, Pakistan and World Bank as a third-party guarantor. India took this decision unilaterally, which infringes on the sanctity of the treaty and on the rights of Pakistan and World Bank by sidelining them.

• The treaty between India and Pakistan incorporates a mechanism for dispute resolution and a clause of arbitration, with the World Bank as a third-party guarantor and a referee. In case of disputes, this is prescribed channel to register disputes. Suspension of the........

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