After months of what now appear to be empty threats, India has upheld the Indus Water Treaty (IWT), sharing with Pakistan the details of potential floods as monsoon wreaks havoc on both sides of the border.
In April-May, New Delhi had moved to unilaterally suspend the water-distribution agreement for the Indus River and its tributaries. Statements from Indian leadership had come following a terror attack in held Kashmir’s Pahalgam, for which India blamed Pakistan.
While both sides continue to trade barbs over the suspension and legality of an end to IWT amid fresh military clashes, reports on Monday said that India has upheld the treaty, warning Pakistan of a potential major flood in the Tawi River at Jammu.
According to reports, the Indian High Commission in Islamabad conveyed the alert on Sunday, after which Pakistani authorities issued warnings in relevant areas.
Islamabad and New Delhi disagree over the use of the water from rivers that flow downstream from India into the Indus River basin in Pakistan.
There is no provision in the treaty for either country to unilaterally hold in abeyance or terminate the pact, which has clear dispute resolution systems. The treaty explicitly bounds both countries to share details of the water volume in the rivers and certain hydrological data.
The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague on June 27 ruled that India’s decision to unilaterally place the IWT in “abeyance” was not supported by the pact’s provisions, reinforcing its jurisdiction over disputes between the two countries.
The court found that its competence could not be affected by the unilateral decision of a party taken after the initiation of arbitral proceedings, regardless of whether India’s recent decision was characterised as a suspension of the treaty or otherwise.
