The Crossbill News Desk
India on Thursday (August 14) firmly rejected the Hague-based Court of Arbitration’s August 8 award directing it to allow the unrestricted flow of the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab rivers to Pakistan, barring specific exceptions.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) also warned Islamabad against its “reckless, war-mongering” rhetoric, citing repeated attempts by Pakistani leaders to whip up hostility towards India.
At the weekly press briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal condemned recent statements by Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto warning of “serious consequences” if India proceeds with suspending the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT).
He also criticised remarks reportedly made by Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff, Field Marshal Asim Munir, in the United States, describing them as “nuclear sabre-rattling.”
“It is a well-known modus operandi of the Pakistani leadership to whip up anti-India rhetoric time and again to hide their own failures. Pakistan would be well advised to temper its rhetoric as any misadventure will have painful consequences, as was demonstrated recently,” Jaiswal said.
Reiterating New Delhi’s longstanding position, Jaiswal said India has “never accepted the legality, legitimacy, or competence of the so-called Court of Arbitration” and dismissed its pronouncements as “without jurisdiction, devoid of legal standing, and having no bearing” on India’s water utilisation rights.
He also accused Pakistan of making “selective and misleading references” to the award.
The tribunal, established by the World Bank in 2016 at Pakistan’s request despite India’s preference for a Neutral Expert mechanism, ruled on August 8 that India must ensure the free flow of the western rivers to Pakistan, with hydropower exceptions interpreted narrowly and dam designs strictly adhering to treaty specifications.
The court imposed detailed technical restrictions, including higher turbine intakes and limited reservoir capacity, and placed the onus on India to prove compliance for each new project.
India boycotted the arbitration proceedings, arguing the tribunal lacked jurisdiction, while Pakistan pursued both the Court of Arbitration track and discussions with a Neutral Expert, including a meeting in Vienna in September 2023.
Tensions escalated after the April 23 terror attack on tourists in Pahalgam, which India blamed on Pakistan-based groups.
The next day, New Delhi announced it was placing the 1960 treaty “in abeyance with immediate effect” until Islamabad “credibly and irrevocably” ends cross-border terrorism. Pakistan countered that the treaty contains no clause allowing unilateral suspension.
On June 27, the Court of Arbitration ruled that India’s suspension would not affect its jurisdiction. India rejected the finding at the time and on Thursday reiterated that the treaty remains in abeyance “by a sovereign decision” taken in response to Pakistan’s continued sponsorship of terrorism, including the Pahalgam attack.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) also warned Islamabad against its “reckless, war-mongering” rhetoric, citing repeated attempts by Pakistani leaders to whip up hostility towards India.
At the weekly press briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal condemned recent statements by Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto warning of “serious consequences” if India proceeds with suspending the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT).
He also criticised remarks reportedly made by Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff, Field Marshal Asim Munir, in the United States, describing them as “nuclear sabre-rattling.”
“It is a well-known modus operandi of the Pakistani leadership to whip up anti-India rhetoric time and again to hide their own failures. Pakistan would be well advised to temper its rhetoric as any misadventure will have painful consequences, as was demonstrated recently,” Jaiswal said.
Reiterating New Delhi’s longstanding position, Jaiswal said India has “never accepted the legality, legitimacy, or competence of the so-called Court of Arbitration” and dismissed its pronouncements as “without jurisdiction, devoid of legal standing, and having no bearing” on India’s water utilisation rights.
He also accused Pakistan of making “selective and misleading references” to the award.
The tribunal, established by the World Bank in 2016 at Pakistan’s request despite India’s preference for a Neutral Expert mechanism, ruled on August 8 that India must ensure the free flow of the western rivers to Pakistan, with hydropower exceptions interpreted narrowly and dam designs strictly adhering to treaty specifications.
The court imposed detailed technical restrictions, including higher turbine intakes and limited reservoir capacity, and placed the onus on India to prove compliance for each new project.
India boycotted the arbitration proceedings, arguing the tribunal lacked jurisdiction, while Pakistan pursued both the Court of Arbitration track and discussions with a Neutral Expert, including a meeting in Vienna in September 2023.
Tensions escalated after the April 23 terror attack on tourists in Pahalgam, which India blamed on Pakistan-based groups.
The next day, New Delhi announced it was placing the 1960 treaty “in abeyance with immediate effect” until Islamabad “credibly and irrevocably” ends cross-border terrorism. Pakistan countered that the treaty contains no clause allowing unilateral suspension.
On June 27, the Court of Arbitration ruled that India’s suspension would not affect its jurisdiction. India rejected the finding at the time and on Thursday reiterated that the treaty remains in abeyance “by a sovereign decision” taken in response to Pakistan’s continued sponsorship of terrorism, including the Pahalgam attack.
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