India-Pakistan May Head to Legal War Over Indus Treaty Water Dispute

Pakistan is considering international legal action against India over the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT). The treaty has been on hold since April 23 following a terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam that killed 26 men, mostly tourists.

Pakistani Minister of State for Law and Justice, Aqeel Malik, informed Reuters that Islamabad was working on plans for at least three different legal options, including raising the issue at the World Bank - the treaty's facilitator.

He said that Pakistan was also considering taking action at the Permanent Court of Arbitration or the International Court of Justice in the Hague, alleging India's violation of the 1969 Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties.

"Legal strategy consultations are almost complete," Malik said, adding the decision on which cases to pursue would be made "soon" and would likely include pursuing more than one avenue.

Indus Waters Treaty

India suspended the IWT of 1960 last week for the first time and said it would last until "Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism." This is one of the strongest responses India has made so far to cross-border terrorism. However, Islamabad refuted its involvement in the attack.

Mediated by the World Bank, the treaty outlines how India and Pakistan share the waters of six rivers in the Indus basin. India has rights over 20% of the water from the eastern rivers—Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi—while Pakistan receives 80% from the western rivers—Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab.

Now with this treaty in abeyance, fear gripped Pakistan as the Indus River system is a vital water source for Pakistan. Around 93% of the water drawn from it is used for farming and cities like Lahore, Multan, and Karachi rely on it as well. About 10mn people are directly dependent on the river network.

Experts on both sides asserted that even though India cannot stop water flows immediately, as the treaty limited the country to have such infrastructure, but things can change within a few months.

Earlier, Islamabad said that any attempt to stop or divert the flow of water belonging to Pakistan will be considered as an act of war.