Indus Waters Treaty will not remain operational in its present form, says official
A senior Indian official has stated that the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan is no longer functional in its current form. The official cited Pakistan's support for cross-border terrorism and climate change as primary reasons for the need to renegotiate the agreement.
Why it matters
The potential dissolution or renegotiation of a major water-sharing treaty between two nuclear-armed nations poses significant regional security and environmental risks.
The Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) will require a review and renegotiation and will not remain operational in its present form, said a source here on Monday (July 20, 2026). Discussing various aspects of the treaty that came into force in 1960, the senior official said India could not be compelled to stay in the treaty as a set of circumstances had arisen because of Pakistan’s continued support for cross-border terrorism. The official further asserted that India negating IWT would not create a precedent for China’s Brahmaputra dam project as China and India did not have a treaty on the Brahmaputra.
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