Indus Waters Treaty: India rejects arbitration award, calls it ‘null and void’
· Scroll
India’s external affairs ministry on Saturday rejected an award reportedly issued by a court of arbitration about maximum pondage at Indian hydroelectric projects on the Indus river system, calling it null and void.
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Pondage refers to water that accumulates behind the dam of a run-of-the-river hydroelectric plant. It is mainly used to regulate the supply of water and to account for fluctuations in the flow of a river.
“India categorically rejects the present so-called award, just as it has firmly rejected all prior pronouncements of the illegally constituted CoA [Court of Arbitration],” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. “India has never recognised the establishment of this so-called CoA. Any proceeding, award, or decision issued by it is null and void.”
The external affairs ministry said that India’s decision to hold the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance remains in force. The decision was taken in the wake of the April 22, 2025 Pahalgam terror attack.
Our response to media queries on matters pertaining to the illegally constituted so-called Court of Arbitration ⬇️
— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) May 16, 2026
🔗 https://t.co/rTnEGIO10K pic.twitter.com/EfGKmj1kA3
As of Sunday morning, no official statement about the award was available on the website of the Permanent Court of Arbitration. However, a press release from May 11 states that a three-day hearing on Pakistan’s request for “interim measures and...