India Skips Hague Hearings, Rejects Indus Arbitration Legitimacy

• India has refused to participate in fresh hearings at the Court of Arbitration in The Hague regarding the Indus Waters Treaty, citing the tribunal as "illegally constituted."
• The Court of Arbitration ordered India to produce "pondage logbooks" from its hydroelectric plants for the "Second Phase on the Merits," with hearings scheduled for February 2 and 3.
• New Delhi views the entire arbitration exercise as moot since it formally put the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance on April 23, 2025, linking water cooperation to Pakistan's use of terrorism.
• Pakistan has launched a global diplomatic and legal outreach, including writing to the UN and initiating legal actions, due to its heavy reliance on the Indus river system.
• India maintains that the issues are technical, suitable for a neutral expert, and accuses Pakistan of "forum shopping" by pursuing arbitration, signaling it will not expand the dispute legally.

Why It Matters: India rejects the legitimacy of Hague arbitration on Indus Waters Treaty, linking water cooperation to terrorism.