New Delhi: Pakistan announced on Thursday its intention to approach the World Bank after India placed the 1960 Indus Water Treaty (IWT) “in abeyance,” a move New Delhi says allows it to regulate flows from the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab rivers.Islamabad’s Foreign Office rejected the suspension as “unilateral and illegal,” warning that any attempt to curtail Pakistan’s water share would be deemed an “act of war.” Pakistan stressed that water is a “vital national interest” for its 240 million citizens and vowed to safeguard its treaty rights “at all costs.”India notified Pakistan in recent years under Article XII(3) of the IWT of “fundamental and unforeseen changes in circumstances,” including the impact of cross-border terrorism, and urged renegotiations within 90 days. New Delhi has also clashed with Pakistan over the Kishenganga and Ratle hydroelectric projects, insisting only a World Bank–appointed Neutral Expert — not a parallel Court of Arbitration — has the authority to resolve technical disputes.The 1960 treaty, brokered by the World Bank and signed by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and President Ayub Khan, allocates the eastern rivers (Ravi, Beas, Sutlej) to India, while guaranteeing Pakistan unfettered use of the western rivers (Indus, Jhelum, Chenab), subject to limited domestic and non-consumptive use by India.In January, India hailed a World Bank Neutral Expert’s decision to confirm its competence in adjudicating seven differences over the Kishenganga and Ratle projects. Pakistan, however, has repeatedly sought international arbitration, a process New Delhi has labelled “inconsistent with the treaty.”
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