What Is Indus Water Treaty That India Suspended With Pakistan After Pahalgam Terror Attack

India has suspended the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan in response to evidence of cross-border linkages in the Pahalgam terror attack.

The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), India's highest decision-making body on national security, has imposed tough retaliatory measures against Pakistan on Wednesday after the Pahalgam terror attack probe, which left 26 people dead.

The government, after the CCS announced indefinitely suspending the decades-old Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan. This move effectively halts the water flow from the Indus River and its distributaries - the Chenab, Jhelum, Ravi, Beas, and Satluj to Pakistan.

What Is Indus Water Treaty (IWT)?

The Indus Waters Treaty was signed on September 19, 1960, between India and Pakistan, brokered by the World Bank. It was signed by the then Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and the Pakistani President Ayub Khan after nine years of negotiations.

The treaty outlines a framework for sharing water resources and exchanging information on the use of the Indus River and its tributaries, Sutlej, Beas, Ravi, Jhelum, and Chenab.

What Are The Key Provisions?

It prescribes how water from the rivers of the Indus River System would be shared between the nations. The Treaty allows the Western Rivers (Jhelum, Indus, Chenab) to Pakistan, and the Eastern Rivers (Ravi, Beas, Sutlej) to India. At the same time, the treaty grants both countries limited rights to use the rivers assigned to the other side, according to the World Bank.

According to the United Nations Treaty Collection, India is obliged to allow the uninterrupted flow of all waters from the Western Rivers and is prohibited from interfering with these waters, except for specific uses confined to their respective drainage basins. These permitted uses include: Domestic use, Non-consumptive use, Agricultural use, and Generation of hydroelectric power.

Additionally, Pakistan has unrestricted rights over all waters from sources other than the Eastern Rivers that it channels into the Ravi or Sutlej. India is not permitted to utilise these waters. Both countries are required to set up discharge observation stations and conduct necessary measurements, as determined by the Permanent Indus Commission, to assess the volume of water made available to Pakistan through such deliveries.

To facilitate coordination and transparency, the treaty established the Permanent Indus Commission, comprising one representative from each country, to oversee implementation and manage river usage.

In addition, a conflict-resolution framework was also put in place under the treaty, including a dispute-resolution mechanism supported by the United Nations, allowing for arbitration in case of disagreements over water sharing.