ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Sunday expressed “utmost satisfaction” over a supplemental award issued by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in proceedings related to the Indus Waters Treaty, stating that the ruling reaffirmed substantive limits on India’s ability to control water flows on the western rivers of the Indus basin.
The award concerns disputes over the design and maximum pondage capacity of the Ratle Hydroelectric Plant and the Kishenganga Hydroelectric Project in occupied Kashmir. Maximum pondage refers to the volume of water that can be stored in a reservoir for operational purposes.
According to a statement issued by the Government of Pakistan, the supplemental award — delivered on May 15 — strengthens Pakistan’s long-standing position that the treaty imposes strict technical and operational restrictions on India’s hydroelectric projects on the western rivers allocated primarily to Pakistan.
Pakistan initiated arbitration proceedings against India under the Indus Waters Treaty in 2016. Although India has continued to boycott the proceedings, the court has been sharing procedural updates and decisions with both countries’ Indus water commissioners.
Brokered by the World Bank in 1960, the treaty allocates the Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab rivers largely to Pakistan, while the Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej rivers are assigned to India.
The dispute intensified after India announced in April 2025 that it was suspending its obligations under the treaty following an attack in Pahalgam in occupied Kashmir that killed 26 tourists — allegations Pakistan denied.
Pakistan’s statement noted that the PCA ruling confirmed that India cannot justify increased water storage capacity through “imagined capacity, artificial load curves, unrealistic peaking assumptions, or bare assertions of compliance.”
The court reportedly ruled that maximum pondage for run-of-river hydroelectric projects must be based on genuine operational requirements, actual hydrological data, power-system needs, and transparent technical justifications provided under the treaty framework.
The award further clarified that installed generation capacity and projected electricity demand must be realistic, evidence-based, and consistent with actual operating conditions.
According to Pakistan, the decision also strengthens Islamabad’s rights to review and scrutinize Indian hydroelectric projects under the treaty. The court held that India must provide sufficient technical information and explanations to demonstrate compliance with treaty provisions.
The ruling additionally emphasized that minimum-flow obligations must be considered when calculating water storage requirements and cannot automatically be satisfied through operational release provisions under Paragraph 15 of the treaty.
Pakistan reiterated its commitment to the Indus Waters Treaty and peaceful dispute resolution mechanisms, stating that it would continue pursuing all lawful and diplomatic avenues to protect its water rights.
“The award is a strategic consolidation of Pakistan’s treaty position,” the statement said, adding that any water-control capacity must remain “realistic, evidence-based, hydrologically grounded, power-system justified, treaty-compliant, and incapable of inflation through artificial assumptions.”
Meanwhile, India’s Ministry of External Affairs rejected the PCA decision, calling the court “illegally constituted” and declaring all its proceedings and awards “null and void.”
India maintained that it never recognised the establishment of the court and reiterated that its decision to place the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance remains in force.
