ISLAMABAD: The Government of Pakistan has welcomed a new ruling by the Court of Arbitration under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), stating that it reinforces restrictions on India’s use of western rivers and strengthens Pakistan’s legal position in ongoing hydropower disputes involving major projects.
In an official statement, Pakistan said it “notes with utmost satisfaction” the Court’s Supplemental Award on maximum pondage issued in proceedings related to the Ratle Hydroelectric Plant and Kishenganga Hydroelectric Project design disputes. The government described the ruling as confirmation that the treaty imposes substantive limits on India’s ability to control western river flows.
According to the statement, the Court held that such limits are not procedural or symbolic, but apply at the planning and design stage of hydropower projects. It said the ruling emphasized that pondage for run-of-river plants must be justified through real operational requirements, hydrological data, hydraulic conditions, and verified power-system needs, rather than theoretical or assumed demand projections.
Pakistan further said the ruling builds on earlier findings that installed capacity and projected load must be based on realistic operational assessments, reinforcing the requirement that project design must reflect actual system needs and verifiable technical data.
The government highlighted the Court’s position that increased water storage capacity cannot be justified through hypothetical assumptions or artificial load calculations. It said the ruling rejects reliance on projected or “imagined” operational scenarios and requires evidence-based justification for any design changes affecting water use.
Islamabad also noted that India is required to provide full technical information to enable treaty compliance assessment. It said failure to disclose sufficient data would mean non-fulfillment of obligations under the treaty’s provisions governing pondage limits and design verification.
The statement further emphasized that environmental flow requirements must be incorporated into hydropower design calculations where applicable, and clarified that operational release rules do not automatically substitute for compliance with design-stage obligations.
Pakistan added that the Court’s rulings are binding and have legal weight in subsequent treaty mechanisms, including ongoing expert-level processes. It said the interpretations will be presented in other dispute resolution forums established under the treaty framework.
Reaffirming its policy stance, the government said Pakistan remains committed to peaceful dispute resolution under the Indus Waters Treaty and will continue to pursue legal and diplomatic channels to ensure that hydropower projects on western rivers remain within treaty limits.
The statement concluded that the ruling represents a significant strengthening of Pakistan’s treaty position, underscoring that maximum pondage must remain “realistic, evidence-based, hydrologically grounded, and fully compliant with treaty obligations.”