Amna Naz
IT has been over a year since India placed the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in abeyance, a decision that has fundamentally shaken one of the most resilient pillars of Pakistan-India relations. The treaty, brokered by the World Bank in 1960, was the only agreement between the two nuclear-armed rivals that had survived three full-scale wars. Its primary achievement was the division of the Indus river system.
The treaty allocated the eastern rivers—the Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej—to India while granting Pakistan exclusive rights to the western rivers—the Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab. This framework was designed to be a permanent, technical solution to a potentially catastrophic water dispute. Crucially, the treaty strictly prohibits India from building any storage or diversion projects on the western rivers.
The origins of this water-sharing framework lie in the turbulent years following the 1947 Partition. After years of failed bilateral talks and a major standoff, the World Bank stepped in as a mediator in 1952. For six decades, the IWT was hailed as a beacon of cooperation. It is a rare example of two adversaries successfully managing a critical shared resource. This history of resilience makes India’s decision to place the treaty in abeyance in April 2025 particularly significant. The announcement followed the Pahalgam terror attack, which India blamed on Pakistan. Pakistan has rejected the move. Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar strongly condemned it and stated that India’s suspension was not just a bilateral dispute but a deliberate act of “hydro-hegemony,” designed to weaponize water and exert strategic pressure on Pakistan.
The most significant and alarming challenge from India is its plan to build the Chenab-Beas Link Tunnel project. This inter-basin project is designed to divert approximately 1.9 million acre-feet of water annually from the Chenab River into the Beas River system. The Chenab is a western river allocated to Pakistan under the IWT.
Pakistan has denounced the project as a “grave violation” of the IWT and international law, including the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties. Pakistan has escalated the issue to the highest international forum. In June 2026, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar wrote to the President of the UN Security Council, urging it to intervene. The letter specifically highlighted the Chenab-Beas Link Tunnel and other infrastructure projects as attempts to illegally alter treaty-governed flows on the western rivers.
Previously, the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) issued awards stating that India cannot unilaterally hold the treaty in abeyance. India, however, has rejected the PCA’s jurisdiction, calling it illegal. Conclusively, India’s decision to place the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance and its subsequent actions to build projects on the Chenab River constitute a multifaceted violation of international law. The IWT is a binding treaty, and its unilateral suspension has no basis in its text or in international treaty law.
India is violating core principles of international water law. While Pakistan’s response has been diplomatic and legal, India’s actions threaten to unravel the only successful water-sharing agreement between the two nations, with devastating consequences for the people of Pakistan and the stability of the entire region.
—The author is associated with ISSI.
