Pakistan – India – Water Treaty – (Web Desk) – Pakistan has achieved an important procedural gain in its ongoing Indus Waters Treaty dispute with India, as the Court of Arbitration has ordered New Delhi to share key operational data from two disputed hydropower projects, The News reported on Friday.
Under a 13-page Procedural Order issued by the Court of Arbitration—set up under the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty—India has been directed to submit operational logbooks for the Baglihar and Kishanganga hydropower plants by February 9, 2026, or provide a formal explanation for any refusal.
Pakistan, meanwhile, has been asked to clearly identify the specific documents it is seeking by February 2, 2026. The second-phase hearing on the case’s merits is scheduled to be held in The Hague from February 2 to 3, regardless of whether India chooses to participate.
A senior Pakistani delegation led by the attorney general will travel to The Hague on Saturday, accompanied by the Pakistan Commissioner for Indus Waters, the country’s international legal team, and Pakistan’s ambassador to the Netherlands.
Pakistan has consistently argued that India has misused the IWT’s hydropower provisions by exaggerating installed capacity and anticipated electricity load to justify excessive water storage — a practice Islamabad says directly undermines Pakistan’s water security.
The court agreed that the operational records — known as “pondage logbooks” — appear directly relevant and material to the issues under consideration, particularly in determining how installed capacity and anticipated load should be calculated for maximum permissible pondage.
Pakistan has indicated it may seek interim measures to prevent further prejudice to its treaty rights, including steps to halt actions that could aggravate the dispute.
While the court did not rule on interim measures at this stage, it confirmed that only a court of arbitration — not a Neutral Expert — has the authority to grant such relief.
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Independent legal experts say the ruling marks an important procedural win for Pakistan, strengthening its position that India’s actual hydropower operations, rather than theoretical design claims, are central to determining treaty compliance.
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