Indus Waters Treaty: According to India government sources, India will not consider reviving the Indus Waters Treaty in its old form. Any future arrangement would require both a renegotiation of the treaty’s terms and irreversible steps by Pakistan to stop sponsoring terrorism on Indian soil.
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Why India Suspended The Treaty and Rejects Arbitration Route
India placed the treaty in abeyance after the April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 civilians were killed. New Delhi has repeatedly said the six-decade-old treaty, signed on trust and goodwill, cannot continue while Pakistan sponsors cross-border terrorism, a stance External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and other officials have reiterated on multiple occasions since.
New Delhi has also declared it will not participate in the Court of Arbitration proceedings initiated by Pakistan, calling the process illegal since Pakistan bypassed the treaty’s earlier dispute-resolution steps involving the Indus Commissioners and secretary-level talks. Sources said India does not consider itself bound by any arbitration awards.
Pakistan’s Response on India’s Position At Global Forums
Indus Waters Treaty: Pakistan has repeatedly urged India to resume normal functioning of the treaty, arguing that no country can unilaterally suspend a bilateral pact. Officials there, including PPP leader Bilawal Bhutto, have accused India of using water as a weapon, as the suspension has coincided with a worsening water crisis affecting Pakistan’s agricultural belt.
India has taken its stance to international platforms as well, telling a United Nations event that it was compelled to respond after Pakistan raised the treaty issue at a forum meant to discuss water and gender equality, reiterating that the suspension will hold until Pakistan takes credible, irreversible action against terrorism.
