India Rejects Arbitration Award on Indus Waters Treaty, Keeps Treaty in Abeyance

India’s Ministry of External Affairs dismissed the Court of Arbitration’s supplemental award on “maximum pondage” issued on 15 May 2026, calling the tribunal “illegally constituted” and its decision “null and void”. Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India “categorically rejects the present so‑called award, just as it has firmly rejected all prior pronouncements of the illegally constituted CoA” and reiterated that the country’s decision to hold the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance remains in force.

The arbitration panel, created under the treaty, had earlier ruled in Pakistan’s favour on a procedural matter, a win the Pakistani side hailed as a legal victory. Analysts note that India’s refusal to recognise the arbitration mechanism could be deemed a breach of its treaty obligations, while Pakistan continues to press for clarification on Indian hydropower projects and a halt to certain developments on the Chenab, Jhelum and Indus tributaries. The dispute heightens tension between the two nuclear-armed neighbours and underscores ongoing disagreements over trans‑boundary water management.

India first suspended the treaty in April 2025 following a terrorist attack in Pahalgam, positioning the pause as a pressure tactic against Pakistan’s alleged support for cross‑border terrorism.