New Delhi: India has strongly criticised Pakistan over its latest position on the Indus Waters Treaty at the United Nations, accusing Islamabad of misrepresenting facts and using the issue for what it described as “malicious propaganda.”
India’s Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal reiterated New Delhi’s longstanding position that the arbitration proceedings being cited by Pakistan do not have legal standing from India’s perspective.
Jaiswal said Pakistan was presenting the proceedings as a ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration, while India considers the body involved to have been constituted in violation of the Indus Waters Treaty. He maintained that India does not recognise the tribunal’s jurisdiction over decisions concerning its sovereign interests.
India has repeatedly rejected the arbitration process, arguing that the court was established without its consent and therefore cannot adjudicate matters covered by the treaty.
The Indus Waters Treaty was signed between India and Pakistan in 1960 to establish a framework for sharing the waters of six rivers in the Indus basin. Under the agreement, India has unrestricted use of the eastern rivers, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej, while the western rivers, Indus, Jhelum and Chenab, were allocated primarily for Pakistan’s use, subject to treaty provisions.
The dispute over the treaty has intensified in recent years amid deteriorating relations between the two countries.
Following the April 22, 2025, terrorist attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 civilians, India announced the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty along with other measures aimed at addressing cross border terrorism.
Pakistan has continued to raise the water treaty issue internationally, while India has maintained that the arbitration mechanism cited by Islamabad cannot determine its sovereign rights or obligations.
