'Pakistan must stop backing terror': India says Indus Waters Treaty 'in abeyance'; conveys views on Teesta to Bangladesh

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) reiterated that the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) of 1960 remains "in abeyance," citing the other signatory state's contin...

What Happened

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) reiterated that the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) of 1960 remains "in abeyance," citing the other signatory state's continued support for cross-border terrorism as the primary ground for suspension.
The suspension, announced in April 2025 following a terrorist attack in Jammu & Kashmir, remains in force; the MEA underscored that normalisation of the treaty framework is contingent on cessation of such support.
Separately, the government conveyed its position on the proposed Teesta River Comprehensive Management and Restoration Project (TRCMRP) to Bangladesh, assuring continued engagement based on mutual understanding, benefit-sharing principles, and ongoing consultations between the two countries.
India's communication on Teesta is understood to reflect concern about the role of a Chinese state-linked company (PowerChina) in executing the project on Bangladesh's portion of the river.

Static Topic Bridges

Indus Waters Treaty, 1960

The Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) was signed on September 19, 1960 between India and Pakistan, brokered and co-signed by the World Bank. It is one of the most enduring water-sharing agreements globally, having survived multiple wars and decades of diplomatic hostility between the two countries.

Eastern Rivers (Ravi, Beas, Sutlej) allocated exclusively to India for unrestricted use.
Western Rivers (Indus, Jhelum, Chenab) allocated to Pakistan, with India permitted limited non-consumptive uses (run-of-river hydropower generation, irrigation within prescribed limits, domestic/industrial use) under strictly regulated conditions.
The treaty has no unilateral withdrawal provision; any modification requires mutual written consent (Article XII).
The World Bank's role under the treaty is limited and procedural — it designates members to the Neutral Expert and Court of Arbitration panels but is not an arbiter itself.
In January 2023, India issued a formal notice seeking modification of the treaty, citing Pakistan's "intransigence" and the "legally untenable" situation created by parallel, contradictory dispute-resolution processes being pursued simultaneously. India reiterated the modification request in September 2024.
In April 2025, India announced the treaty was "in abeyance" following the Pahalgam terrorist attack (26 lives lost), the most significant escalation in the treaty's history.

Connection to this news: The MEA's July 2026 statement is a continuation of the post-April 2025 posture, confirming that the treaty's operational status has not changed — and linking its restoration explicitly to the other party's conduct on cross-border terrorism rather than any water-related disagreement.

Permanent Indus Commission (PIC)

The Permanent Indus Commission is a bilateral institution established under the IWT to facilitate data exchange, cooperation, and field visits between the two countries. Each country appoints one Commissioner to the PIC.

The PIC is mandated to meet at least once a year, alternately in India and Pakistan.
The commission handles routine "questions" arising under the treaty; "differences" go to a Neutral Expert, and "disputes" go to a Court of Arbitration.
The 118th meeting of the PIC (May 2022) was the last session held; subsequent meetings have been declined by India pending Pakistan's engagement on the modification request.
Suspension of PIC meetings has effectively frozen the technical cooperation layer of the treaty.

Connection to this news: With the treaty "in abeyance," the PIC — the operational backbone of the IWT — also remains non-functional, representing a near-complete breakdown of the bilateral water-management architecture.

Teesta River Dispute: India–Bangladesh

The Teesta is a 414-km trans-boundary river originating in Sikkim, flowing through West Bengal before entering Bangladesh and eventually joining the Brahmaputra (Jamuna). Its waters are critical for agriculture in northern Bangladesh during the dry (winter) season.

A 1983 interim arrangement informally allocated 39% of Teesta waters to India and 36% to Bangladesh (remaining 25% unallocated).
In 2011, a near-finalised interim treaty — allocating 42.5% to India and 37.5% to Bangladesh for 15 years — was blocked at the last moment by the West Bengal state government over concerns about local water availability.
The political change in Bangladesh (2024) brought a new dimension: the interim government in Dhaka revived the Chinese-backed Teesta River Comprehensive Management and Restoration Project (TRCMRP) with PowerChina, valued at approximately USD 1 billion, approved in 2019.
India has consistently expressed concern that Chinese infrastructure on a river flowing into Bangladesh — just upstream of the Bengal delta — raises both strategic and hydrological considerations.

Connection to this news: India's communication to Bangladesh on the Teesta is an attempt to keep the river's management within a bilateral India–Bangladesh framework, signalling openness to cooperation while seeking to prevent the entrenchment of third-party (Chinese) infrastructure in a strategically sensitive river basin.

International Law on Transboundary Rivers

The UN Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses (UN Watercourses Convention, 1997) codifies customary international law principles including: equitable and reasonable utilisation, no significant harm, prior notification of planned measures, and data/information exchange. India and Pakistan are not parties; Bangladesh acceded in 2014.
Customary international law recognises the principle of "equitable utilisation" — no riparian state has an absolute right to use transboundary water in a way that substantially harms another.
The Helsinki Rules (1966) and Berlin Rules (2004) of the International Law Association are also influential non-binding frameworks.

Connection to this news: Both the IWT (bilateral treaty regime) and the Teesta issue (absence of a treaty) illustrate contrasting modes of managing transboundary rivers — one over-institutionalised yet frozen, the other under-institutionalised and increasingly subject to third-party geopolitical intervention.

Key Facts & Data

IWT signed: September 19, 1960, in Karachi.
Eastern rivers to India: Ravi, Beas, Sutlej.
Western rivers to Pakistan: Indus, Jhelum, Chenab.
India's first notice to modify IWT: January 2023.
IWT placed "in abeyance": April 2025 (post-Pahalgam attack).
Last PIC meeting: 118th session, May 2022.
Teesta 2011 proposed split: 42.5% India / 37.5% Bangladesh (blocked by West Bengal government).
TRCMRP (PowerChina, Bangladesh): Estimated cost USD 1 billion; project approved 2019.
UN Watercourses Convention: Adopted 1997; Bangladesh a party; India and Pakistan not parties.