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Indus Waters Treaty: India Rejects Court of Arbitration Order [Prelims Bits]

02 Sep 2026

Tags: Prelims   Current events of national and international importance

Source: The Indian Express

  • Context: India rejected a Court of Arbitration (CoA), Hague ruling that its decision to keep the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), 1960 in abeyance was impermissible.
  • India’s stand: India says the CoA is illegally constituted, has no jurisdiction, and India has never recognised or participated in its proceedings.
  • Indus Waters Treaty, 1960: India–Pakistan water-sharing treaty brokered by the World Bank; allocates Eastern Rivers—Ravi, Beas, Sutlej mainly to India and Western Rivers—Indus, Jhelum, Chenab mainly to Pakistan, while allowing specified uses by both sides.
  • India’s decision: After the Pahalgam terrorist attack (April 2025), India placed the IWT “in abeyance” until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably ends support for cross-border terrorism.
  • Court’s ruling: CoA held that the IWT remains in force and India cannot suspend/terminate it on the stated grounds.
  • Prelims Edge: The IWT created a Permanent Indus Commission for cooperation and information exchange; disputes can proceed through a graded mechanism involving the Permanent Indus Commission, Neutral Expert and Court of Arbitration, depending on the nature of the dispute.

Prelims Question

Q1. The Indus Waters Treaty is sometimes described as a treaty involving allocation with continued sharing rather than absolute territorial ownership of rivers. Which of the following best supports this characterization?

A. Each country received exclusive sovereignty over the entire river basin assigned to it.

B. The treaty primarily allocated the waters of specified rivers while retaining certain permitted uses for the other country.

C. The World Bank acquired ownership and regulatory control over the six Indus basin rivers.

D. India and Pakistan agreed to divide the Indus basin geographically into two independent river systems.

Answer: B

Explanation: The Indus Waters Treaty allocates the waters of the six rivers primarily between India and Pakistan, but does not grant either country absolute ownership of the entire river system. It also permits the other country certain specified uses of the allocated rivers.

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