India says Indus Water Treaty cannot resume unless Pakistan stops backing terror
The government has concluded that the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) with Pakistan cannot function in its present form, hardening its stance on the water-sharing agreement amid persistent allegations of Islamabad's support for cross-border terrorism. India is not yet actively considering abandoning the 1960 treaty brokered by the World Bank, but a source speaking on condition of anonymity said it is not in India's interest to remain a party to the treaty as it currently stands.
India had formally sought a review and modification of the IWT, citing demographic shifts, clean energy priorities, and new climate realities, before putting the treaty in abeyance last year in retaliation for the Pahalgam terrorist attack. The source stated, 'It would be accurate to say that the IWT in its present form will not function at all. If provisions related to river water sharing have to be reactivated, they will have to be done in a different form—not in the present form.' India will await further developments before considering the option of withdrawing entirely.
The IWT does not contain an exit clause, but India points to Article 60 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (VCLT), which permits suspension in case of a material breach. Although neither India nor Pakistan is a party to the VCLT, India believes that invoking customary international law could treat Pakistan's alleged state sponsorship of terrorism as such a breach. Indian authorities assert that as a sovereign state, India cannot be compelled to remain in a treaty that is demonstrably against its interests.
These statements come amid Pakistan's efforts to internationalise the issue, calling India's suspension 'unilateral and unlawful' and claiming it threatens the water security of its 240 million citizens. However, outside the treaty framework, India continues to provide flood warnings to Pakistan to protect lives and property.
India contends that Pakistan has constructed a victimhood narrative while ignoring that more water from the Indus system is lost in Pakistan due to surface runoff than India's entire share under the treaty. Sources also note that Pakistan has not built a single large-scale storage project since 1976, despite receiving nearly 80% of the Indus Basin waters. India maintains that Pakistan's problem is water management, not water availability.
For India, the central issue remains Pakistan's support for cross-border terrorism. The government has set no deadline for keeping the IWT in abeyance. The source said, 'The treaty will remain in abeyance until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism. This is the threshold condition.' It added that Pakistan continues to provide enabling platforms for terrorist groups and individuals banned by the UN Security Council's 1267 Sanctions Committee. During this period, India will pursue optimal utilisation of its legitimate rights through scientific basin management, modern engineering, infrastructure modernisation, and responsible stewardship of water resources.
