ISLAMABAD, Jul 07 (APP):Senate Standing Committee on Climate Change Chairperson Senator Sherry Rehman on Tuesday said India's continued attempt to keep the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in abeyance was contrary to international law and established principles governing transboundary water cooperation. In a statement, she said the treaty contained no provision allowing either party to suspend or terminate it unilaterally, adding that Pakistan, as the lower riparian state, viewed the issue …
Indus Waters Treaty remains binding under international law: Sherry Rehman
ISLAMABAD, Jul 07 (APP):Senate Standing Committee on Climate Change Chairperson Senator Sherry Rehman on Tuesday said India’s continued attempt to keep the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in abeyance was contrary to international law and established principles governing transboundary water cooperation.
In a statement, she said the treaty contained no provision allowing either party to suspend or terminate it unilaterally, adding that Pakistan, as the lower riparian state, viewed the issue with “the utmost seriousness”.
She said recent statements by senior Indian officials on diverting the Chenab River, refusing to restore the treaty and denying water to Pakistan reflected a departure from cooperative water governance and carried legal implications.
The senator said UN special rapporteurs had maintained that India’s declaration had no legal effect on the continued operation of the treaty or Pakistan’s rights. She added that the Permanent Court of Arbitration had also upheld the treaty’s validity and rejected attempts to justify its suspension.
Sherry Rehman said the Indus Waters Treaty remained in force under international law, adding that Pakistan would continue to pursue its rights through international legal mechanisms while advocating cooperation and the peaceful management of shared water resources.
