India slams Pakistan's 'charade' on Kishenganga, Ratle dams; trashes 'illegal' Court of Arbitration's new ruling

Time of India

6 hours ago

India has dismissed a ruling by a Court of Arbitration regarding the Kishenganga and Ratle hydroelectric projects. The projects are located in Jammu and Kashmir. The Ministry of External Affairs has stated that the court's formation violates the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960. India does not recognize the court's legitimacy. It considers any decisions made by it as void.
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India on Friday rejected a fresh ruling by a Court of Arbitration over two hydroelectric projects in Jammu and Kashmir . The Pakistan-backed court issued a 'supplemental award' claiming it has the right to decide on the Kishenganga and Ratle dams under the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960."India categorically rejects this so-called supplemental award as it has rejected all prior pronouncements of this body," ministry said in an official statement on the matter.India's Ministry of External Affairs said this so-called court is "illegal" because it was set up in clear violation of the treaty. India has never accepted its existence or any of its past decisions, calling them unlawful and automatically invalid."Today, the illegal Court of Arbitration, purportedly constituted under the Indus Waters Treaty 1960, albeit in brazen violation of it, has issued what it characterizes as a "supplemental award' on its competence concerning the Kishenganga and Ratle hydroelectric projects in the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir," the ministry statement echoed."India has never recognised the existence in law of this so-called Court of Arbitration, and India's position has all along been that the constitution of this so-called arbitral body is in itself a serious breach of the Indus Waters Treaty and consequently any proceedings before this forum and any award or decision taken by it are also for that reason illegal and per se void," it added.The PM Narendra Modi-led Centre also reiterated that until Pakistan stops supporting cross-border terrorism, India will not follow the treaty's rules."Until such time that the Treaty is in abeyance, India is no longer bound to perform any of its obligations under the Treaty. No Court of Arbitration, much less this illegally constituted arbitral body which has no existence in the eye of law, has the jurisdiction to examine the legality of India's actions in exercise of its rights as a sovereign," the statement further said.The Central government called the ruling a 'charade' pushed by Pakistan to avoid facing the truth about its role in terrorism. India said Pakistan has a long history of using false claims and manipulating international forums to cover up its actions."This latest charade at Pakistan's behest is yet another desperate attempt by it to escape accountability for its role as the global epicenter of terrorism. Pakistan's resort to this fabricated arbitration mechanism is consistent with its decades-long pattern of deception and manipulation of international forums."