Pakistan Covers India’s Arbitration Fees in Indus Waters Treaty Fight

Pakistan has continued arbitration over the Indus Waters Treaty despite India’s boycott following the April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack. Under the treaty’s dispute‑resolution rules, both parties must share arbitration costs; with India absent, Pakistan is paying both its own expenses and India’s share, already exceeding $600,000, to keep the proceedings before the Permanent Court of Arbitration alive.

A leaked ISPR briefing reveals a parallel information campaign directed by Pakistani officials. The memo instructs television anchors and digital influencers to portray India as fragmented, amplify the Khalistan separatist narrative, and claim the ancient Indus‑Valley civilisation as Pakistani heritage to bolster its water‑rights case. The document also urges amplification of criticism from Indian opposition leaders, aiming to shape international opinion on the treaty dispute.