Indus Water Treaty: Pakistan Urges India To 'Engage Constructively' After New Delhi Rejects The Hague Ruling

Days after India rejected the Permanent Court of Arbitration's verdict on the Indus Water Treaty, Pakistan on Wednesday urged New Delhi to engage with it constructively within the framework of the 1960 agreement.

Tahir Andrabi, the Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson, said that the court had reaffirmed that the IWT remained fully enforced and binding.

While emphasising that Pakistan would continue to take all possible measures to ensure that the decision of the Court is implemented fully, Andrabi said that Pakistan is committed to implementing the treaty in letter and spirit as per its language and provisions.

He urged India to reciprocate with a similar approach so that the IWT is upheld in letter and spirit.

India had decided to put the treaty in abeyance as part of punitive diplomatic and economic measures after the dastardly Pahalgam terror attack in April 2025, where 26 civilians were killed by the Pakistan-backed Lashkar-e-Taiba's offshoot, The Resistance Front (TRF).

The civilians were killed based on their religious identity. India not only put the treaty in abeyance but also launched an offensive against terror infrastructure deep inside Pakistan under Operation Sindoor.

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Against the suspension of the IWT, Pakistan had approached the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague in March 2026 to determine the status of the treaty, virtually challenging India's action.

From the outset, India refused to recognise the court's jurisdiction, terming it "illegally constituted." New Delhi has maintained that the "very establishment of this alleged arbitral body constitutes a grave violation of the Indus Waters Treaty".

IWT raised in SCO

The IWT row also came up at the recent Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Bishkek, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for action against countries that use terrorism as a tool of state policy.

"We cannot be limited to a mere action-reaction approach," PM Modi said, calling for dismantling the terrorist ecosystem, including funding networks, recruitment methods and safe havens.

ALSO READ: 'Illegally Constituted, No Jurisdiction': India Rejects Court Of Arbitration's Indus Water Treaty Verdict

Speaking at the summit, Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif had described water as the "lifeline" of the region and said it should never be used as a weapon.

(With PTI Inputs)

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