India rejects ruling by Permanent Court of Arbitration in dispute with Pakistan

Bagchi said India’s consistent and principled position has been that the constitution of the so-called Court of Arbitration is in contravention of the provisions of the Indus Waters Treaty.

India on Thursday said it cannot be compelled to participate in "illegal" proceedings at the Permanent Court of Arbitration over the Kishenganga and Ratle hydropower projects in Kashmir after the Hague-based tribunal ruled that it has the "competence" to consider the dispute between New Delhi and Islamabad on the matter.

India has been maintaining that it will not join the Pakistan-initiated proceedings at the Permanent Court of Arbitration as the dispute is being already examined by a neutral expert under the framework of the Indus Waters Treaty.

"India cannot be compelled to recognise or participate in illegal and parallel proceedings not envisaged by the treaty," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said.

In January, India issued a notice to Pakistan seeking a review and modification of the Indus Waters Treaty in view of Islamabad's "intransigence" to comply with the dispute redressal mechanism of the pact.

The pact, brokered by the World Bank, was inked in 1960 for matters relating to cross-border rivers.

India considers the start of the two concurrent processes to resolve the dispute violates the provision of the three-step graded mechanism prescribed in the pact.

Mr. Bagchi said India's consistent and principled position has been that the constitution of the so-called Court of Arbitration is in contravention of the provisions of the Indus Waters Treaty.