Sep 03, 2026 16:31 pm IST

Opinion | Indus Treaty, Hague, And Pakistan's Endless Search For Leverage Over India

If the IWT survived all the trials in the past, it is because India's threshold of tolerance had been unusually high. But Pakistan must know that it can't arm-twist India through international pressure.

Kanwal Sibal Kanwal Sibal Columnist

Kanwal Sibal Columnist

India is entirely justified in strongly rejecting the ruling of the Hague-based Court of Arbitration against India's decision to hold the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in abeyance. India has affirmed that it had never recognised the Court's authority, did not participate in the proceedings, and would not be bound by its rulings. It has called the Court's decisions legally invalid, stating that it has no jurisdiction over India's sovereign decisions concerning the Treaty.

India had opposed the World Bank's decision to set up the Court of Arbitration even though the issues in contention with Pakistan were being addressed by 'Neutral Experts', as provided for in the treaty. India's position is that the mechanisms for resolving differences and disputes under the Treaty between the two parties have to be invoked sequentially and not simultaneously. India has, therefore, not participated in any way in the proceedings of the Court.

The Court has rejected India's contention, stating that it has jurisdiction and competence to proceed regardless of India's boycott, that the Treaty does not prohibit parallel proceedings if different aspects (technical vs legal) of a project are being contested simultaneously. It has ruled that the Treaty remains fully active and in force, ordering India to uphold its binding provisions and rejecting India's step to hold it in abeyance. The Court has passed an ex parte order against India.

What The World Bank Had Said

In May 2025, following India's suspension of the IWT, the World Bank President had stated that the Bank had no role in the IWT beyond acting as a limited procedural facilitator. According to........

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