India rejects The Hague tribunal’s arbitration award

India on Saturday trashed a ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague regarding certain hydroelectric projects in Jammu and Kashmir, which Pakistan had objected to under the framework of the Indus Waters Treaty.

New Delhi, rejecting the award, said its decision to hold the Indus Waters Treaty in “abeyance” remains in force. India has been maintaining that the so-called Court of Arbitration (CoA) to look into the matter was “illegally constituted”.

“The illegally constituted so-called Court of Arbitration (CoA) has, on May 15, issued what it termed an award concerning maximum pondage supplemental to the award on issues of general interpretation of the Indus Waters Treaty,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.

“India categorically rejects the present so-called award, just as it has firmly rejected all prior pronouncements of the illegally constituted CoA,” he said. Jaiswal said India has never recognised the establishment of this “so-called” CoA. “Any proceeding, award, or decision issued by it is null and void. India’s decision to hold the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance remains in force,” he said.

A day after the April 22, 2025, Pahalgam terror attack, India took a series of punitive measures against Pakistan, including putting the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty in “abeyance.” The ruling was known to be in a case related to Pakistan’s objections to the Kishenganga and Ratle hydropower projects.