The Indus Waters Treaty and the Limits of Indian Unilateralism

The Permanent Court of Arbitration, in its 31 August award on the Status of the Indus Waters Treaty, had yet again vindicated Pakistan’s principled position that India, under no circumstances, can unilaterally “suspend” or place the IWT in “abeyance”.The award concluded that India’s 2025 decision was not permissible under the Treaty or applicable international law, and that the IWT remained in force, thereby underscoring the limits of Indian unilateralism and reaffirming that treaty obligations cannot be unilaterally set aside outside the mechanisms provided under international law.