Pakistan urges India to abide by water treaty after Hague court ruling

Decision boosts Islamabad's legal position as New Delhi refuses arbitration

The Indus River as it runs through Hyderabad, Pakistan, on April 25. Although the Permanent Court of Arbitration has issued a ruling in Pakistan's favor, the country's water treaty impasse with India is likely to continue as the court lacks enforcement powers. © Reuters

ADNAN AAMIR

July 3, 2025 16:07 JST

ISLAMABAD -- With a ruling handed down last week by the Permanent Court of Arbitration that favors its position, Pakistan is now calling on India to resume the implementation of a bilateral water-sharing treaty. Experts say that while the ruling strengthens Islamabad's legal position, New Delhi is unlikely to go back to abiding by the treaty.

The 65-year-old Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) grants Pakistan rights to water from the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab rivers, while granting India control of the Ravi, Sutlej and Beas rivers. Following a deadly attack on tourists in India-administered Kashmir in April, New Delhi blamed Pakistan and unilaterally declared the treaty to be in abeyance.