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 said New Delhi must "observe its obligations" under the treaty with on the sharing of the Indus and other rivers, which the Indian government this year sought to suspend.

In a statement, the court found unanimously found that "none of the grounds" put forward by India were justified and "concluded that the Treaty [...] remains fully in force."

The court noted that India "remains bound by the obligations incumbent upon it," particularly regarding the design and operation of "hydroelectric projects on the western rivers."

It said India's construction of hydroelectric projects on the Indus and associated rivers had to conform to the treaty. 

A Pakistani government spokesman said Islamabad "welcomed" the PCA order. However, India said that it categorically rejects the order of the Permanent Court of Arbitration.

India threatens to dry out Pakistan

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What is the India-Pakistan water treaty?

The 1960 Indus Water Treaty governs the use of water from six rivers which originate in India but flow into Pakistan as part of the Indus basin — a resource relied on by hundreds of millions of people.

The Indus river cuts through ultra-sensitive demarcation lines between India and Pakistan in Kashmir, the Himalayan territory both countries claim.

India said in May 2025 that it was suspending its membership of the treaty after accusing Islamabad of backing a deadly attack on tourists on the Indian side of Kashmir.

India's Water Minister CR Patil said earlier this year that the government would ensure that "not a single drop of water" will flow into Pakistan.

Pakistan denies backing the Kashmir attack and has accused India of seeking to "weaponize" the precious water resource.

Islamabad has previously said it would consider any attempt to change the flow of cross-border waterways as an "act of war."

Edited by: Dmytro Hubenko

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