The hague: The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague has ordered India to uphold a water-sharing treaty with Pakistan, which has led to a recent increase in tensions between the two neighbors. The PCA stated that New Delhi must "observe its obligations" under the treaty concerning the sharing of the Indus and other rivers, which the Indian government sought to suspend earlier this year.

According to Deutsche Welle, the court found unanimously that "none of the grounds" put forward by India were justified and "concluded that the Treaty [...] remains fully in force." The court emphasized that India "remains bound by the obligations incumbent upon it," particularly regarding the design and operation of "hydroelectric projects on the western rivers." It further specified that India's construction of hydroelectric projects on the Indus and associated rivers must conform to the treaty.

A Pakistani government spokesman expressed that Islamabad "welcomed" the PCA order. In contrast, India categorically rejected the order from the Permanent Court of Arbitration. The 1960 Indus Water Treaty governs the use of water from six rivers originating in India but flowing into Pakistan as part of the Indus basin-a vital resource for hundreds of millions of people.

The Indus river traverses ultra-sensitive demarcation lines between India and Pakistan in Kashmir, a Himalayan territory both countries claim. In May 2025, India announced it was suspending its membership of the treaty, accusing Islamabad of backing a deadly attack on tourists on the Indian side of Kashmir. India's Water Minister CR Patil stated earlier this year that the government would ensure "not a single drop of water" would flow into Pakistan.

Pakistan denies involvement in the Kashmir attack and accused India of attempting to "weaponize" the precious water resource. Islamabad has previously declared it would consider any attempt to alter the flow of cross-border waterways as an "act of war."