Indus Waters Treaty won’t operate in current form: India lays out its condition for Pakistan

The Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) will not operate in its current form unless Pakistan permanently ends cross-border terrorism against India, government sources said on Monday. Any future revival of the river-sharing agreement will require renegotiation in a modified format before the provisions related to river water sharing can be reactivated.

According to a report in PTI, a source said, "It would be accurate to say that the IWT in its present form will not function again. If provisions related to river water sharing have to be reactivated, they have to be done in a different form, not in the present form. And only if Pakistan abjures terrorism."

Sources added that India is not actively considering withdrawing from the treaty at present but reserves the right to terminate any treaty that is against its interests. Another source said, "It (exiting the IWT) depends on the actions that Pakistan takes going forward."

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India placed the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance after the Pahalgam terror attack in April last year, which killed 26 civilians. Indian officials said the attack was carried out by The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). In response, India launched Operation Sindoor targeting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan in May.

The sources accused Pakistan of creating a false narrative that India's suspension of the treaty caused water shortages. They said Pakistan loses significant water due to inadequate storage infrastructure, leakages, and disputes over water sharing among its provinces.

Officials said there was no evidence that Pakistan had taken credible steps to curb cross-border terrorism. A source noted that proscribed individuals and entities sanctioned by the UN Security Council's 1267 sanctions committee continue to appear at public events in Pakistan and have platforms to propagate their messages.

Intelligence inputs from across the Line of Control also indicated no credible action had been taken to control terrorist activities, the sources added.

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Regarding the treaty's implementation, the sources alleged Pakistan consistently obstructed Indian hydropower projects on the western rivers, regardless of their size or technical specifications. Projects including Salal, Tulbul, Baglihar, Kishenganga, Ratle, Pakal Dul, and a 200-kilowatt hydropower project for a remote tribal area faced prolonged objections.

Pakistan has increasingly used the treaty's dispute resolution provisions to delay India's legitimate projects by escalating technical issues to third-party forums and pursuing parallel proceedings before both the Neutral Expert and the Court of Arbitration, despite the treaty's graded dispute resolution framework.

Signed on September 19, 1960, after nine years of negotiations and brokered by the World Bank, the Indus Waters Treaty gives India rights over the eastern rivers -- Ravi, Beas and Sutlej -- while Pakistan controls the western rivers -- Indus, Jhelum and Chenab. The agreement permits India to construct run-of-river hydropower projects such as Kishenganga and Ratle on the western rivers before they flow into Pakistan.