Indus Waters Treaty in India’s own words

ISLAMABAD: India's decision to place the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance sits at odds with 65 years of statements, court rulings and official positions.

New Delhi itself has defended the treaty as a durable, successful and legally binding framework, according to a review of Indian government records, court rulings, and statements from Indian officials and policy analysts.

India held the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance after the May 2025 Pahalgam Attack and since then Pakistan has warned of dire consequences if India stops the water flow into Pakistan.

However, a detailed review of India’s past statements from the leaders, institutions and intelligentsia paint a picture of double standards and hypocrisy.

India politicians and leaders: 

Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru signed the treaty in Karachi in 1960 and defended it as a tool for regional peace, according to news reports from that time.

Not just Indian leaders but the US President Dwight Eisenhower back then called the deal a "bright spot" in world diplomacy, according to a historical document published by the State Department's Office of the Historian.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee, as foreign minister, signed the 1978 Salal Dam agreement, hailed in New Delhi as proof that the treaty builds trust.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government, after the 2016 Uri attack, chose to maximise India's rights within the treaty rather than scrap it, according to an MP-IDSA analysis.

In Jammu and Kashmir, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti has defended the treaty, saying "there have been so many wars, but IWT wasn't touched, because both countries benefited." She said this while addressing a press conference in Kashmir.

Statements from institutions

India's Ministry of External Affairs told the Lok Sabha in 2014 that the treaty is a "time tested framework," according to ministry records.

It later told Parliament that India has "always strictly adhered to both the letter and the spirit" of the agreement, according to the same records.

In 2017, the Supreme Court of India dismissed a petition seeking to declare the treaty unconstitutional, with Chief Justice J.S. Khehar ruling that "this treaty has held good for more than half a century," according to NDTV.

Following the 2025 abeyance, the ministry said it remained committed to the treaty's "sanctity and integrity" after a Neutral Expert affirmed jurisdiction over the Kishenganga and Ratle disputes, according to an MEA press release.

Statements from experts

Ramaswamy Iyer, a former Union water resources secretary, in his research paper titled “Indus Waters Treaty: Reevaluation & Hope” called the treaty a rare success that survived multiple wars.

Himanshu Thakkar of the South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People has said scrapping the treaty would bring India no military benefit and would damage its credibility with other neighbours, according to Times of India.