Experts condemn India’s rejection of arbitration ruling on IWT, warn of regional risks

• Former diplomats call New Delhi’s stance violation of international law and treaty obligations

• India accused of undermining arbitration mechanism and World Bank-backed agreement

 PESHAWAR: Political and diplomatic experts on Sunday strongly condemned the Indian government’s rejection of the International Court of Arbitration’s ruling on the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), terming it a serious violation of international law, treaty obligations and established principles of justice.

Former ambassador Manzoorul Haq, while criticising a statement by the Indian government spokesperson rejecting the authority of the international court, said it reflected what he described as the “fascist mindset” of the Modi administration and its disregard for global legal institutions.

He said the International Court of Arbitration in The Hague had issued historic rulings on the Indus Waters Treaty that were binding on member states.

Talking to APP, he said India had already acted in disregard of UN Security Council resolutions on Kashmir and was now ignoring the arbitration court’s ruling on the Indus Waters Treaty, exposing New Delhi’s indifference to international commitments and institutions.

Referring to a recent statement by India’s Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson, who claimed that India had never recognised the “so-called court,” Manzoor said such remarks undermined international law, treaty obligations and the World Bank-backed framework of the agreement.

He noted that the International Court of Arbitration in The Hague had upheld its award issued last year in favour of the continued validity of the Indus Waters Treaty, clarifying that India could not unilaterally suspend the agreement.

Condemning the Indian Foreign Ministry’s position, he said India’s refusal to accept arbitration mechanisms or their outcomes weakened the credibility of international commitments and threatened the rule-based global order.

He warned that repeated violations of the IWT endangered the sanctity of international treaties and inter-state relations, adding that what he described as the RSS-backed Modi government’s actions should be held accountable under international norms.

According to him, any attempt to place the treaty in abeyance risked undermining peace in the subcontinent, warning that disputes between two nuclear-armed states over water resources could have consequences far beyond the region.

The Indus Waters Treaty, mediated by the World Bank in 1960, divides control of the Indus basin rivers between Pakistan and India. Pakistan has rights over the western rivers — Indus, Jhelum and Chenab — for irrigation, drinking water and non-consumptive uses such as hydropower generation, while India controls the eastern rivers Ravi, Beas and Sutlej.

Manzoor accused India of violating the treaty by undermining its framework and pointed to alleged irregularities in river flows, citing a sharp decrease in the Chenab River flow from April 30 to May 21 and again from December 7 to December 15 last year.

“These reductions in water flows are of extreme concern for Pakistan as they point to unilateral manipulation of river flows by India without prior notification or information-sharing, as required under the treaty,” he said.

He added that such developments had occurred at critical stages of Pakistan’s agricultural cycle, directly threatening livelihoods, food security and the national economy.

The former diplomat, who also served in Saudi Arabia and Egypt, said India’s actions demonstrated what he termed the “weaponisation of water,” an issue Pakistan had repeatedly raised at international forums.

He said Pakistan’s Indus Waters Commissioner had formally written to his Indian counterpart seeking clarification over the reported reduction in Chenab flows under the treaty framework.

Pakistan, he said, expected India to respond clearly to the concerns raised and to refrain from unilateral manipulation of river flows while fulfilling its treaty obligations in both letter and spirit.

Former chairman of the Political Science Department at the University of Peshawar, Prof Dr AH Hilali, said India could not unilaterally suspend the treaty and had weakened its legal position following the ruling of the International Court of Arbitration at The Hague.

He accused India of undermining the treaty through controversial hydropower projects such as Kishenganga and Ratle, calling them a dangerous precedent.

He said India had further eroded the dispute resolution mechanism by refusing to participate in both arbitration and neutral expert proceedings under the treaty framework.

Dr Hilali said India was deliberately attempting to sabotage the arbitration process, warning that such actions could expose millions of people in Pakistan to food insecurity and deprivation.

Pakistan and India have long disagreed over hydroelectric projects on the shared Indus river system, with Pakistan maintaining that Indian projects could reduce downstream flows and adversely affect agriculture.

In August last year, the Court of Arbitration ruled that India must “let flow” the waters of the western rivers for Pakistan’s unrestricted use.

He reiterated that the Indus Waters Treaty remained a binding legal instrument that had contributed significantly to peace and stability in South Asia and could not be unilaterally withdrawn or suspended.

He warned that restricting water supplies would pose serious risks to food security and livelihoods across Pakistan.

The experts said violations of the IWT threatened not only the sanctity of international treaties but also regional peace, security, good neighbourly relations and established norms governing interstate relations.

They expressed hope that the international community, including the World Bank, would intervene to ensure compliance with the treaty and the uninterrupted flow of water in the western rivers.