India Slaps Down Pakistan’s Desperate Water Grab in IWT Showdown – No Data, No Deal!
India just drew a hard line in the sand against Pakistan over the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT). Reports say the Modi government flat-out rejected a summons from the Hague’s Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), calling the whole tribunal illegal. During a hearing in the Netherlands, India refused to hand over operational data on the Kishanganga and Ratle hydroelectric projects in Kashmir, or even acknowledge the court’s so-called supplementary award.
Pakistan’s Shehbaz Sharif government is crying foul, labeling India’s stance a regional threat and even hinting at war. They’ve dragged the IWT dispute to the UN and other international forums, but India isn’t budging. This all kicked off after last April’s terrorist attack in Pahalgam, when India suspended the 1960 treaty that splits the waters of the six Indus basin rivers.
Pakistan’s already staring down a water crisis, and India’s move makes it worse. The PCA had demanded sensitive records last week, but New Delhi said no way. A senior official told CNN-News18 that setting up this parallel arbitration court clashes with the treaty’s own rules on neutral experts. Until Pakistan reins in cross-border terrorism and addresses India’s security worries, the Modi team sees no reason to play ball.
The Ministry of External Affairs made it official: India won’t follow the tribunal’s orders or join its proceedings. It’s a bold stand that’s deepening the rift in this decades-old water-sharing pact.
