Pakistan welcomes Permanent Court of Arbitration's ruling in IWT case
Hauge court says IWT continues in force until terminated with the mutual consent of India and Pakistan
June 27, 2025
- Court rejects India’s unilateral actions on Indus Waters Treaty.
- Says India can’t bypass arbitration process.
- "Pakistan, India find a way back to meaningful dialogue."
Pakistan on Friday welcomed the Supplemental Award issued by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) case, stating that India could not unilaterally suspend the accord.
According to a statement issued by the government, Pakistan reiterated its commitment to resolving the issue under the framework of the Indus Waters Treaty and stressed the need for renewed diplomatic engagement between the two countries.
The arbitration court's ruling confirmed that India’s unilateral actions could not undermine the jurisdiction of either the court of arbitration or the Neutral Expert in proceedings under the IWT.
"Court has affirmed its competence in light of recent developments and that unilateral action by India cannot deprive either the Court or the Neutral Expert... of their competence to adjudicate the issues before them,” read the statement.
"The high priority, at this point, is that India and Pakistan find a way back to a meaningful dialogue, including on the application of the Indus Waters Treaty," the statement added.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in remarks made on June 24, also extended an olive branch to New Delhi. “Pakistan is ready to engage in a meaningful dialogue with India on all outstanding issues, including Jammu & Kashmir, water, trade and terrorism,” he said.
Following the killing of 26 people in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir in April, India held the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan in abeyance.
New Delhi accuses Islamabad of orchestrating the deadly militant attack, an allegation that Pakistan denies.
On the basis of these baseless allegations, India started the war against Pakistan last month, which was the heaviest fighting to have occurred between the two neighbouring nations in decades, before a ceasefire was reached and brokered by the US.
The nuclear-armed neighbours disagree over the use of the water from rivers that flow downstream from India into the Indus River basin in Pakistan.
The use of the water is governed by the Indus Waters Treaty, which was mediated by the World Bank and signed by the neighbours in September 1960.
There is no provision in the treaty for either country to unilaterally suspend or terminate the pact, which has clear dispute resolution systems.
The ruling
The court of arbitration has issued a Supplemental Award reaffirming its jurisdiction in the ongoing arbitration initiated by Pakistan against India under the IWT.
The ruling addresses recent developments, including India’s declaration in April 2025 that the treaty would be held “in abeyance.”
The unanimous judgment, delivered on June 27, 2025, and binding on both parties without appeal, confirmed that India’s unilateral decision to place the Treaty in abeyance has no bearing on the Court’s competence to adjudicate the matter.
Arbitration proceedings between Pakistan and India under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) formally began at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, following Pakistan’s request for the establishment of a court on August 19, 2016.
The legal process was initiated under Article IX of the Indus Waters Treaty, which provides a framework for dispute resolution between the two countries over water-related issues.
