MEA Calls Court “Illegally Constituted”
India said it never recognised the existence of the arbitration body under the treaty
India on Saturday firmly rejected the latest ruling issued by the Hague-based Court of Arbitration (CoA) under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), calling the body “illegally constituted” and declaring its latest award “null and void”.
Responding to media queries, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal reiterated that India does not recognise the legitimacy or authority of the arbitration body constituted under the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty framework.
“The illegally constituted so-called Court of Arbitration (CoA) has, on 15 May 2026, issued what it termed an award concerning maximum pondage supplemental to the award on issues of general interpretation of the Indus Waters Treaty,” Jaiswal stated.
India rejected the ruling in strong terms and said the proceedings themselves hold no legal validity from New Delhi’s standpoint.
“India categorically rejects the present so-called award, just as it has firmly rejected all prior pronouncements of the illegally constituted CoA. India has never recognised the establishment of this so-called CoA. Any proceeding, award, or decision issued by it is null and void. India’s decision to hold the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance remains in force,” he added.
India reiterates treaty remains in abeyance
The Indus Waters Treaty, signed between India and Pakistan on September 19, 1960, governs the sharing and use of waters from the Indus river system.
India had earlier suspended the treaty framework after the Pahalgam terror attack, stating that Pakistan’s continued support for cross-border terrorism made it impossible to maintain normal treaty obligations.
The MEA had previously clarified India’s position in June 2025, asserting that New Delhi was no longer bound by treaty obligations while the agreement remained in abeyance.
“Until such time that the Treaty is in abeyance, India is no longer bound to perform any of its obligations under the Treaty. No Court of Arbitration, much less this illegally constituted arbitral body which has no existence in the eye of law, has the jurisdiction to examine the legality of India’s actions in exercise of its rights as a sovereign,” the MEA had stated.
Dispute linked to Kishenganga and Ratle projects
The ongoing dispute is linked to the Kishenganga and Ratle hydroelectric projects in Jammu and Kashmir, which Pakistan has repeatedly challenged through international forums.
Last year, India had similarly rejected a “supplemental award” issued by the same arbitration body concerning the two hydroelectric projects.
“India has never recognised the existence in law of this so-called Court of Arbitration, and India’s position has all along been that the constitution of this so-called arbitral body is in itself a serious breach of the Indus Waters Treaty and consequently any proceedings before this forum and any award or decision taken by it are also for that reason illegal and per se void,” the MEA had said at the time.
India accuses Pakistan of misusing international forums
India also criticised Pakistan for repeatedly approaching what it called “fabricated arbitration mechanisms” in an attempt to internationalise bilateral disputes.
“Pakistan’s resort to this fabricated arbitration mechanism is consistent with its decades-long pattern of deception and manipulation of international forums,” the MEA had stated earlier.
New Delhi has maintained that the arbitration process initiated by Pakistan lacks legal standing and that India’s sovereign decisions regarding the treaty cannot be subjected to external scrutiny by bodies it does not recognise.
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