PCA ruling on Indus Waters Treaty and India rejection
Why in the news
The Permanent Court of Arbitration decided that the Indus Waters Treaty still applies and curbed some works at Ratle. India dismissed it: in its view the tribunal was illegally formed, so the decision is null and void.
Key facts
- PCA: intergovernmental body for arbitration, conciliation and fact-finding among states, state entities, international organisations and private parties.
- Born 1899 at the first Hague Peace Conference (convened by Czar Nicholas II); convention revised 1907.
- Seat: Peace Palace, The Hague, a building also used by the ICJ.
- India and Pakistan: Contracting Parties since 1950.
- No permanent bench: it is not a standing court and runs ad-hoc tribunals.
| Indus Waters Treaty | Detail |
|---|---|
| Signed / broker | 1960 / World Bank |
| Eastern rivers (Ravi, Beas, Sutlej) | Go to India |
| Western rivers (Indus, Jhelum, Chenab) | Go mainly to Pakistan; India keeps limited non-consumptive hydropower use |
| Article IX ladder | Commission first, then Neutral Expert, then Court of Arbitration |
| Projects | Ratle (850 MW, Chenab); Kishenganga (Jhelum tributary) |
PCA versus ICJ
- The ICJ is the UN’s principal judicial organ, has 15 permanent judges and hears only state-versus-state disputes.
Exam angle
- PCA founding year and treaty basis.
- Rivers allotted to each side in 1960.
- Article IX order of dispute steps.