ISLAMABAD:Pakistan has formally submitted detailed concerns to the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), accusing India of weaponising Western Rivers’ watersa serious breach of the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), Islamabad says.
According to the 32 Supplemental Award on the competence of the Court of Arbitration, which is currently examining Pakistan’s complaint under the IWT, Islamabad has highlighted alarming shifts in Indian policy since April 23, 2025.
“Pakistan maintains that ‘India’s policy of “abeyance” since 23 April 2025, together with public rhetoric, has stoked the threats and perhaps the realisation of its new approach: to use dams to manipulate or deny downstream releases to Pakistan’,” the award states.
Explaining what it means by “weaponisation”, Pakistan has outlined three primary ways in which India could exert control over the Western Rivers’ flow, allegedly in violation of the treaty.
“Pakistan recalls that ‘weaponisation’ in this context concerns three ways India can control waters of the Western Rivers: ‘(a) the interruption of water supply used for downstream irrigation through the filling of sizeable pondage pools and other reservoirs; (b) the opening of dam gates to release stored water in excessive volumes in a manner that causes flooding downstream; and (c) the rapid, mass release of sediment impacting rivers, land, infrastructure and people living downstream’,” the award notes.
On June 27, the international court made a key determination on its authority to hear Pakistan’s case.
The Court unanimously held: “India’s position that it is holding the Treaty in ‘abeyance’, however that position may be characterised as a matter of international law, does not deprive the Court of Arbitration of competence.”
The ruling elaborates further, acknowledging Pakistan’s view that India’s “abeyance” stance is not merely rhetorical but actively undermining treaty obligations.”The international tribunal in its award has highlighted Pakistan’s response on India’s policy of holding the Treaty in ‘abeyance’.”
Quoting directly from Pakistan’s submission, the court notes: “The tribunal in its order states that according to Pakistan, the ‘rhetoric of India’s officials and stoked clamour of the Indian media in the period since 23 April now shows that weaponisation scenarios are far from hypothetical’.”
Monitoring data collected by Pakistani authorities also forms part of Islamabad’s evidence to the court.
