Pakistan Seeks Dialogue With India After Delhi Rejects Indus Waters Treaty Ruling
Pakistan has issued a fresh plea for dialogue, urging India to constructively engage within the framework of the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) after New Delhi stood firm on its decision to suspend the water-sharing agreement.
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Pakistan has called for renewed dialogue with India over the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) after New Delhi rejected a recent international arbitration ruling and reiterated that the 1960 water-sharing pact will remain in abeyance. The latest exchange adds another layer to already strained India-Pakistan relations, with Islamabad seeking negotiations under the treaty while India maintains that its suspension will continue until Pakistan takes credible action against cross-border terrorism, according to a report.
Pakistan Calls For Constructive Dialogue
Pakistan has urged India to return to negotiations within the framework of the Indus Waters Treaty and resolve outstanding differences through dialogue. The appeal follows India's rejection of a ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague concerning the treaty. Pakistan has welcomed the ruling, while India has rejected both the tribunal's jurisdiction and its conclusions.┬аPakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif Warns India of Direct Response Over Indus Waters Treaty (Video).
Islamabad has maintained that the treaty remains legally binding and provides established mechanisms for addressing disagreements over water use and hydropower projects.
India Stands By Treaty Suspension
India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty in April 2025 following the terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which killed 26 people. New Delhi linked the decision to its broader response to what it describes as Pakistan's continued support for cross-border terrorism.┬аIndus Water Treaty Remains Suspended in Response to PakistanтАЩs Continued Sponsorship of Cross-Border Terror, Says MEA.
India has since maintained that the treaty will remain in abeyance until Pakistan takes credible and irreversible steps to end support for terrorism directed against India. The government reiterated this position in recent statements.
New Delhi has also rejected the authority of the arbitration process initiated under the treaty, arguing that the mechanism cannot operate while the treaty itself has been placed in abeyance.
Hague Tribunal Rules Treaty Remains Binding
The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague recently ruled that the Indus Waters Treaty remains valid and that neither India nor Pakistan can unilaterally suspend or terminate it. The tribunal also issued directions concerning India's Ratle hydroelectric project in Jammu and Kashmir, including restrictions on certain construction activity pending further assessment by a neutral expert.
India has rejected the ruling, saying the tribunal was constituted through a process it does not recognise and therefore its decision does not affect India's position on the treaty or its hydropower projects.
A 1960 Pact Under Severe Strain
The Indus Waters Treaty was signed in 1960 with World Bank assistance after years of negotiations between India and Pakistan. It divided the six rivers of the Indus system between the two countries while allowing certain uses and development activities under specified conditions.
The treaty survived several periods of military conflict and remained a key channel of technical cooperation between the neighbours for decades. Its suspension in 2025 represented a major departure from that longstanding arrangement.
Water Dispute Adds To Broader Tensions
The latest dispute is taking place against the backdrop of continuing political and security tensions between the two countries. Pakistan has repeatedly warned about the consequences of disrupting water supplies, while India has argued that terrorism and water relations cannot be treated separately.
The disagreement has also coincided with a separate legal and technical dispute over India's hydroelectric projects on the western rivers, particularly the Kishenganga and Ratle projects.
Dialogue Remains Pakistan's Preferred Route
Pakistan's latest appeal indicates that Islamabad wants the dispute to return to the treaty's established framework for consultation and dispute resolution. India, however, has so far shown no indication of restoring the treaty under the present circumstances. New Delhi's position remains that the suspension is linked to national security concerns and will continue until Pakistan addresses those concerns.
The competing positions leave little immediate room for compromise, although Pakistan's call for dialogue keeps open the possibility of diplomatic engagement over the management of the shared Indus river system.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 02, 2026 07:55 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
