Pakistan has achieved a significant procedural breakthrough in its long-running Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) dispute with India after the Court of Arbitration ordered New Delhi to submit operational records of two disputed hydropower projects.
In a 13-page Procedural Order issued under the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, the court directed India to provide pondage logbooks of the Baglihar and Kishanganga hydroelectric plants by February 9, 2026, or formally state reasons for refusing to do so.
Pakistan has been asked to specify the exact documents it seeks by February 2, 2026. The court also confirmed that the Second Phase hearing on the merits will be held in The Hague from February 2 to 3, regardless of India’s participation.
A high-level Pakistani delegation, led by the attorney general and including the Pakistan Commissioner for Indus Waters, will travel to The Hague on Saturday. Pakistan’s international legal team and the country’s ambassador to the Netherlands will also attend the proceedings.
Pakistan has consistently argued that India has been misusing the IWT’s hydropower provisions. Islamabad maintains that New Delhi exaggerated installed capacity and projected electricity demand to justify excessive water storage, which it says undermines Pakistan’s water security.
The Court of Arbitration agreed that the operational records, known as pondage logbooks, are directly relevant and material to the dispute. The court said these records are important for determining how installed capacity and anticipated load should be calculated when assessing maximum permissible pondage.
The ruling also clarified that Pakistan may seek interim measures to protect its treaty rights. This includes steps to prevent actions that could aggravate the dispute. However, no interim relief was sought at this stage.
The court further confirmed that only a Court of Arbitration, and not a Neutral Expert, has the authority to grant interim measures under the treaty framework.
Independent legal experts described the decision as an important procedural victory for Pakistan. They said the ruling strengthens Islamabad’s position that actual hydropower operations, rather than theoretical design claims, are central to assessing compliance with the Indus Waters Treaty.