HAGUE (MNN); The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague has directed India to submit detailed operational records of its Baglihar and Kishanganga hydropower projects on rivers allocated to Pakistan under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT). India must provide the logbooks by February 9, or formally explain any delay to the tribunal.
The PCA also asked Pakistan to specify by February 2 the exact documents it seeks from India. The second phase of hearings on the merits of the case is scheduled for February 2-3, and the tribunal confirmed that proceedings will continue regardless of India’s participation.
A high-level delegation led by Pakistan’s Attorney General will represent Islamabad at the hearings. Pakistan has long argued that India is unlawfully storing water upstream and manipulating flows, and that operational records are crucial to substantiate claims of water withholding.
The tribunal emphasized that only the court can authorize additional water storage under the treaty, and neutral experts cannot approve interim measures. Operational data from dams in Indian-held Kashmir was deemed essential to resolving the dispute.
Officials in Islamabad called the PCA’s order a major procedural win, strengthening Pakistan’s position in arbitration under the 1960 treaty.
Separately, Pakistan’s Foreign Office reaffirmed that it would fully participate in both arbitration and Neutral Expert proceedings under the IWT, despite India halting its involvement. The PCA clarified that its jurisdiction covers all components of run-of-river hydro projects on the western rivers, and any design that artificially raises water levels above the Full Pondage Level would violate the treaty.
The FO stated that arbitration will continue in phases while considering parallel Neutral Expert proceedings, next scheduled in Vienna, and that Pakistan remains committed to engaging in good faith.
