Hague court’s ruling on J&K’s Kishenganga and Ratle hydroelectric projects is “illegal”
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) noted that India does not recognise the jurisdiction of the court in this matter.
STC NEWS MONITORING DESK
NEW DELHI, JUNE 28 (STC): India has rejected the Permanent Court of Arbitration’s (PCA) in the Hague ruling on two hydroelectric projects – Kishenganga and Ratle – in Jammu and Kashmir. It asserted that it never recognized the dispute resolution framework with Pakistan.
In its ruling, the Permanent Court of Arbitration said India’s decision in April to keep the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance “does not limit” its competence over the dispute and that its ruling is binding on the parties.
In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) noted that India does not recognise the jurisdiction of the court in this matter, especially regarding dispute resolution mechanisms involving Pakistan under the Indus Waters Treaty.
“This latest charade at Pakistan’s behest is yet another desperate attempt by it to escape accountability for its role as the global epicenter of terrorism,” the MEA said.
“Pakistan’s resort to this fabricated arbitration mechanism is consistent with its decades-long pattern of deception and manipulation of international forums,” reads the MEA statement.
India has never recognised the proceedings at the Permanent Court of Arbitration after Pakistan raised objections to certain design elements of the two projects under the provisions of the Indus Waters Treaty.
“Today, the illegal Court of Arbitration, purportedly constituted under the Indus Waters Treaty 1960, albeit in brazen violation of it, has issued what it characterizes as a ‘supplemental award’ on its competence concerning the Kishenganga and Ratle hydroelectric projects in the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir,” the MEA said.
The MEA said India’s position has all along been that the constitution of this so-called arbitral body is in itself a serious breach of the Indus Waters Treaty and consequently any proceedings before this forum and any award or decision taken by it are also illegal for that reason.
(Inputs from Agencies)
