India cannot withdraw from water treaty with Pakistan, tribunal insists

An international tribunal has ordered India to observe its obligations under a 1960 treaty with Pakistan regarding the sharing of the Indus and other rivers. The tribunal, the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague, has also prohibited India from carrying out works at two hydro-electric projects that could breach the treaty.

The Indian government had sought to suspend the Indus Water Treaty, which it placed "in abeyance" following a terror attack on April 22, 2025. However, according to the Punch and Punch Nigeria, the tribunal insisted that the treaty remains in force.

The Indian Ministry of External Affairs has rejected the tribunal's order, stating that the establishment of the arbitral body was a "grave violation" of the treaty. According to The Hindu, India claims the tribunal has no jurisdiction to pronounce on its sovereign decisions and has consistently refused to recognise the tribunal's existence.

Brief written by urgent.news from Punch, Punch Nigeria, The Hindu — 3 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.