Key points
- India must follow treaty in dam project designs
- Court ruling is final and binding: Pakistan
- PM Sharif warns India against disrupting river flow
ISLAMABAD: A ruling by an international court requiring India to comply with the Indus Waters Treaty in the design of new hydro-electric power stations on rivers flowing west into Pakistan has validated Islamabad’s position, according to a senior Pakistani official on Tuesday.
There was no immediate response from India’s foreign ministry.
The 1960 Indus Waters Treaty allocated three westward-flowing rivers to Pakistan, while India received rights to three rivers flowing east. Pakistan remains concerned that India could potentially block its principal water supply, which is crucial for 80 per cent of its agriculture and hydro-electric generation.
In 2023, Pakistan filed a case with the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, objecting to the design of Indian hydro-electric projects on rivers allocated to Pakistan under the treaty.
New hydropower projects
The court, in its decision published on its website on Monday, confirmed its authority over the matter and ruled that the treaty “does not permit India to generate hydro-electric power on the Western Rivers based on what might be the ideal or best practices approach for engineering” of these projects.
It further stated that the design must comply “strictly” with the criteria outlined in the treaty.
Pakistan’s Attorney General, Mansoor Usman, stated in an interview on Tuesday that the court had largely upheld Pakistan’s stance, particularly in regard to the design of the new hydropower projects.
“I am sure it is clear now that India cannot construct any of these projects in violation of the court’s decision,” he told the media.
Prime minister issues new warning
According to a statement by Pakistan’s foreign ministry, the court determined that India must “let flow” the waters of the three rivers for Pakistan’s unrestricted use. The Foreign Office noted that the court’s conclusions are final and binding on both nations.
However, an Indian official cited a June statement from India’s foreign ministry asserting that India has never recognised the existence of the Court of Arbitration.
During a ceremony held in Islamabad on Tuesday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif issued a strong warning to India over the Indus River, insisting that not even a single drop of water belonging to Pakistan could be taken, amid rising tensions concerning hydropower resources in the region.
“I want to tell the enemy today that if you threaten to hold our water, then keep this in mind that you cannot snatch even one drop from Pakistan,” he declared.
