India on Friday firmly rejected a so-called “supplemental award” issued by an illegally constituted Court of Arbitration, purportedly formed under the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960, concerning the Kishenganga and Ratle hydroelectric projects in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the award, along with all prior pronouncements by this body, as illegal and void, citing the tribunal’s formation as a serious violation of the treaty itself.
The MEA emphasized that India has never recognized the legal existence of this arbitral body, describing its constitution as a breach of the Indus Waters Treaty. Following the Pahalgam terrorist attack, India, exercising its sovereign rights under international law, has placed the treaty in abeyance until Pakistan demonstrably ceases its support for cross-border terrorism. During this period, India is not obligated to comply with the treaty’s provisions, rendering any arbitration proceedings or decisions by this body without jurisdiction or legal standing.
The ministry condemned the arbitration as a maneuver by Pakistan to evade accountability for its role as a global hub of terrorism. The MEA described Pakistan’s pursuit of this “fabricated arbitration mechanism” as part of a long-standing pattern of deception and manipulation of international forums.
