India rejects ‘Illegal’ Indus Waters Treaty Court Award

India rejected the latest award issued by the Court of Arbitration (CoA) regarding the Indus Waters Treaty, calling the tribunal “illegally constituted” and its rulings invalid.

Responding to media queries, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the CoA had issued a so-called award on “maximum pondage” on May 15, supplementing an earlier ruling related to the interpretation of the treaty.

“India categorically rejects the present so-called award, just as it has firmly rejected all prior pronouncements of the illegally constituted CoA,” Jaiswal said.

He reiterated that India has never recognised the establishment of the Court of Arbitration and considers all its proceedings, decisions and awards as “null and void”.

India also maintained that its decision to keep the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance remains fully valid.

The latest development comes amid continuing tensions between India and Pakistan over the sharing and management of waters from the Indus river system. India has consistently opposed parallel proceedings under the treaty framework and questioned the jurisdiction of the CoA.