New Delhi: India on Monday rejected the International Court of Arbitration’s “supplemental award” on the Kishenganga and Ratle hydroelectric projects in Jammu and Kashmir, asserting that it is no longer bound by obligations under the Indus Waters Treaty, which it said is currently in abeyance.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that with the treaty suspended, India has no obligation to comply with any of its provisions. It also questioned the jurisdiction of the arbitral body, calling it illegally constituted and lacking legal standing.
“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 MEA said in a statement.
India further stated that it has never formally recognised the existence of the “so-called Court of Arbitration” and maintained that its formation under the Indus Waters Treaty amounted to a serious breach of the pact.
The MEA asserted that any award or decision issued by the arbitration court is illegal and has no binding effect on India. (Agencies)
