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An international court of arbitration ruled on August 31 that the 1960 Indus Wat
An international court of arbitration ruled on August 31 that the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty — a water-sharing arrangement between India and Pakistan — remains legally in force. India had placed the agreement in abeyance in April 2025 following an attack in which gunmen killed tourists in the Kashmir region, and subsequently indicated the suspension would hold until certain conditions were met. When Pakistan brought the matter before an international tribunal, India argued the body had no jurisdiction over the dispute and announced it would not recognise the August ruling on those grounds. Pakistan described the outcome as a legal victory. The Indus river system is a crucial water source for hundreds of millions of people across the region. The episode raises a question that extends well beyond South Asia: when two states fundamentally disagree on whether an international court has authority over them, what realistic options remain for resolving disputes over shared rivers?