Indus Waters Treaty Current Status: The Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in its present form is unlikely to become operational again, with any future arrangement on sharing river waters dependent on Pakistan
permanently ending cross-border terrorism against India, news agency PTI quoted government sources as saying on Monday.
Speaking about the future of the over-65-year-old water-sharing agreement, the sources said that if cooperation under the treaty is ever restored, it would have to be under a revised framework rather than the existing pact.
They maintained that Pakistan’s continued support for terrorism remains the biggest obstacle to any revival of the agreement.
“It would be accurate to say that the Indus Waters Treaty 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,” a government source said.
The remarks come months after India placed the treaty in abeyance following the April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack that claimed the lives of 26 civilians.
The suspension formed part of a series of diplomatic and economic measures announced against Pakistan after the attack.
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India has maintained that the attack was carried out by The Resistance Front (TRF), which they describe as a proxy of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
In May, India launched Operation Sindoor, targeting what it described as terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan.
India Not Looking To Exit Treaty For Now
Government sources clarified that India is not actively considering withdrawing from the Indus Waters Treaty at present. However, they stressed that as a sovereign nation, India retains the right to terminate any international agreement if it is found to be against the country’s interests.
“It (exiting the IWT) depends on the actions that Pakistan takes going forward,” a source said.
According to the sources, the future of the treaty will primarily depend on whether Pakistan takes credible and irreversible steps to dismantle terror infrastructure and end cross-border terrorism.
India Rejects Pakistan’s Water Scarcity Narrative
The sources also dismissed Pakistan’s claim that India’s decision to keep the treaty in abeyance has led to water shortages in the country.
Instead, they argued that Pakistan loses a substantial portion of the water it already receives due to poor storage infrastructure, widespread leakages and unresolved water-sharing disputes among its own provinces.
According to the sources, Islamabad is attempting to create a “false narrative” by blaming India for problems rooted in its domestic water management.
The government also said there is no indication that Pakistan has taken meaningful steps to curb terrorism despite India’s repeated concerns.
The source further alleged that individuals and organisations designated by the United Nations Security Council’s 1267 Sanctions Committee continue to operate openly in Pakistan.
“On the contrary, we continue to receive reports that proscribed individuals and entities sanctioned by the UN Security Council’s 1267 sanctions committee continue to appear at public events in Pakistan, continue to be able to have platforms that they can use to propagate their messages,” the source said.
Another source said Indian agencies continue to receive intelligence indicating that terrorist activity across the Line of Control remains active.
“The evidence that our agencies have in terms of their activities just across the Line of Control also suggests that there are no credible steps that have been taken so far to control terrorist activities,” the source added.
Pakistan Accused Of Obstructing Indian Hydropower Projects
Government sources also accused Pakistan of consistently using the treaty’s dispute-resolution mechanisms to delay India’s legitimate hydroelectric projects on the western rivers.
According to them, nearly every Indian project, irrespective of its size or technical specifications, has faced objections from Pakistan.
The sources cited projects such as Salal, Tulbul, Baglihar, Kishenganga, Ratle and Pakal Dul, saying they were subjected to prolonged objections.
They also noted that even a small 200-kilowatt hydropower project intended to electrify a remote tribal region was challenged.
The sources alleged that Pakistan repeatedly escalated routine technical issues to third-party forums, prolonged bilateral discussions, and simultaneously pursued proceedings before both the Neutral Expert and the Court of Arbitration, despite the treaty prescribing a graded dispute-resolution mechanism.
The Indus Waters Treaty – Dispute, Current Status
The Indus Waters Treaty was signed by India and Pakistan on September 19, 1960, after nine years of negotiations under the aegis of the World Bank to regulate the sharing of the Indus river system.
Under the agreement, India has rights over the eastern rivers, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej, while Pakistan has rights over the western rivers, Indus, Jhelum and Chenab.
The treaty also permits India to build run-of-river hydroelectric projects, including Kishenganga and Ratle, on the western rivers before they flow into Pakistan.
The sources recalled that Pakistan initially sought the appointment of a Neutral Expert over the Kishenganga and Ratle projects in 2015 but later withdrew that request and sought a Court of Arbitration in 2016.
The World Bank subsequently appointed both a Neutral Expert and a Court of Arbitration. India participated in proceedings before the Neutral Expert but declined to recognise the Court of Arbitration.
According to the sources, Pakistan’s approach over the years has reflected a pattern of obstruction rather than cooperation, with dispute-resolution mechanisms being used not to ensure treaty compliance but to delay India’s developmental projects.
(With PTI inputs)
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