New Delhi: India on August 31, 2026, categorically rejected an award issued by the Hague-based Court of Arbitration on the Indus Waters Treaty, calling the body “illegally constituted” and asserting that its decisions would have no effect on India’s sovereign actions or hydroelectric projects.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said India had never recognised the legal existence of the arbitral body and had consistently refused to participate in its proceedings. New Delhi also reiterated that its decision to hold the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan in abeyance remains in force.
The dispute has intensified against the backdrop of India-Pakistan tensions and New Delhi’s concerns over cross-border terrorism. India placed the treaty in abeyance following the April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack, a move that marked a major shift in the long-running framework governing the waters of the Indus river system.
"ILLEGALLY CONSTITUTED"
HARD TALK BY INDIA AS IT SNUBS HAGUE COURT RULING.
WON'T BLINK ON INDUS WATERS TREATY. PAK JOLTED.The message from New Delhi is clear: India’s decision to hold the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance remains in force.
This follows the Hague Court of… pic.twitter.com/4jJWfKaoPh— Rahul Shivshankar (@RShivshankar) August 31, 2026
In its statement, the MEA strongly rejected the latest ruling. “Today, the illegally constituted so-called Court of Arbitration has issued what it termed as an award concerning Interim Measures and Status of the Indus Waters Treaty,” the ministry said.
The MEA further stated that the so-called Court had been constituted by the World Bank in what India described as a “patent breach” of the terms of the treaty. India, it said, categorically rejected the latest award, just as it had rejected all previous pronouncements issued by the body.
India has maintained that the arbitration mechanism itself is illegitimate. The MEA said New Delhi had never recognised the existence in law of the “illegally constituted” Court of Arbitration and had consistently argued that the establishment of the body represented a grave violation of the Indus Waters Treaty.
The ministry made clear that the Court had “no jurisdiction whatsoever to pronounce on India’s sovereign decisions.” It added that its pronouncements, whether issued now or in the future, would have no effect on India’s actions in connection with projects being undertaken by the country. India’s decision to keep the treaty in abeyance, the MEA reiterated, remains in force.
India rejects court’s claim that treaty remains in force
The so-called Court of Arbitration took a position that India has firmly rejected, asserting that the Indus Waters Treaty remained fully in force despite New Delhi’s decision to place the agreement in abeyance.
According to the ruling, the tribunal claimed that “none of these grounds could justify suspension or termination of the Treaty” and stated that “the Indus Waters Treaty remains fully in force, and India must observe its obligations under the Treaty.”
The so-called Court further claimed that India must continue to meet obligations relating to the design and operation of hydroelectric projects on the Western Rivers, including matters concerning the Ratle Hydro-Electric Plant in Jammu and Kashmir. It also issued interim measures concerning aspects of the project.
India has categorically rejected these assertions, maintaining that the Court of Arbitration was illegally constituted and has no jurisdiction whatsoever to pronounce on India’s sovereign decisions. New Delhi has consistently refused to recognise the legal existence of the body or participate in its proceedings.
The dispute concerns the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty between India and Pakistan. India has made it clear that the so-called Court’s pronouncements, whether issued now or in the future, will have no bearing on India’s sovereign decisions or projects. The government has also reiterated that its decision to keep the treaty in abeyance remains in force.
For New Delhi, the issue goes beyond a technical dispute over water and hydroelectric projects. The Indus Waters Treaty has become closely linked to India’s wider concerns over national security, cross-border terrorism, sovereignty and Pakistan-sponsored terror. India’s rejection of the latest ruling reinforces its position that an externally constituted arbitration body cannot dictate the country’s sovereign decisions regarding its rivers, water resources and national interests.
