Islamabad, June 30, 2025: Pakistan has called on India to immediately resume the full implementation of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) and honor its obligations under international law, following a recent ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague. The call comes in response to India’s unilateral decision to place the treaty “in abeyance” since May 2025—a move Pakistan has strongly condemned as illegal.
In a statement issued by the Foreign Office, Pakistan welcomed the PCA’s supplemental award announced on June 27, which reaffirmed the Court’s jurisdiction in the ongoing dispute concerning India’s Kishenganga and Ratle hydroelectric projects. The ruling declared that the PCA retains full competence to adjudicate the matter and emphasized its continued responsibility to ensure proceedings are conducted “in a timely, efficient, and fair manner.”
The Court’s supplemental award, Pakistan said, was prompted by India’s unilateral suspension of the treaty—a decision made in April following a militant attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) that left 26 people dead. India blamed Pakistan for the incident, a charge Islamabad strongly denies. Tensions escalated into armed conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbours last month, marking the most intense fighting in decades, before a US-brokered ceasefire brought hostilities to a halt.
“The award vindicates Pakistan’s longstanding position that the Indus Waters Treaty remains valid and operational, and that India has no authority to unilaterally suspend or hold it in abeyance,” the Foreign Office stated.
The Indus Waters Treaty, signed in September 1960 and brokered by the World Bank, governs the distribution and use of the waters of the Indus River system. It contains a detailed dispute resolution mechanism but does not allow either party to unilaterally withdraw or suspend the agreement.
Pakistan reaffirmed its commitment to the legal process and noted that it looks forward to the PCA’s forthcoming ruling on the merits of the first phase of the case, following hearings held in The Hague in July 2024.
The government reiterated the urgent need for India and Pakistan to return to a path of constructive dialogue, particularly on matters related to the Indus Waters Treaty. “The current priority must be to restore meaningful engagement between the two sides, including on the proper application of the IWT,” the statement said.
The PCA’s unanimous supplemental award, which is binding and not subject to appeal, clearly stated that India’s suspension of the treaty has no bearing on the Court’s jurisdiction or on the continued applicability of the treaty.
The arbitration proceedings began in August 2016, when Pakistan formally requested the establishment of a court under Article IX of the Indus Waters Treaty, which provides the legal framework for resolving disputes over water-related issues between the two countries.
