Tribunal rules 1960 treaty remains in force and binding; India rejects ruling
LONDON/THE HAGUE: Pakistan has secured a significant legal victory in its long-running water dispute with India after a tribunal based in The Hague reaffirmed that the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 remains in force and is binding on both countries.
The ruling marks an important development in the dispute, particularly after India unilaterally announced in April 2025 that it was placing the treaty in “abeyance”. Pakistan rejected the move and pursued the matter through international legal proceedings.
In its unanimous ruling, the Permanent Court of Arbitration made clear that India’s unilateral decision to place the treaty in abeyance does not absolve it of its obligations under the agreement.
The tribunal also issued interim measures concerning the Ratle Hydroelectric Power Project, further strengthening Pakistan’s legal position in the proceedings.
Pakistan’s legal team, led by Attorney General for Pakistan Mansoor Usman Awan, played a key role in presenting Islamabad’s case before the tribunal. Awan represented Pakistan during proceedings held in The Hague in February 2026.
Pakistan has welcomed the ruling as an important reaffirmation of the sanctity of international agreements and the supremacy of international law.
The Pakistani position has consistently been that disputes concerning the waters of the Indus river system must be resolved through the mechanisms established under the treaty rather than through unilateral actions.
However, India has rejected the tribunal’s ruling and challenged its jurisdiction, maintaining that the arbitration process does not have authority over India’s sovereign decisions.
The decision has therefore opened another significant chapter in the decades-old dispute between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
For Pakistan, the ruling represents more than a legal development. It is being viewed as an important diplomatic and international-law success at a time when the future of the Indus Waters Treaty has become a major point of contention between Islamabad and New Delhi.
The battle may not have been fought on a traditional battlefield, but this time the contest was one of law, diplomacy and legal argument — and Pakistan has emerged with a significant victory at The Hague.
By Safina Khan
