Pakistan to continue participation in Indus Water Treaty arbitration from Nov 17-21

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday said that the next phase of Neutral Expert proceedings, initiated on India’s request, is scheduled to take place in Vienna from November 17 to 21, the Foreign Office said.

In a statement, the Foreign Office spokesperson stated that “Pakistan will continue to fully participate in the Neutral Expert proceedings”, despite India’s decision to halt its participation.

The ministry noted that the Neutral Expert has ruled that India’s non-participation could not operate as a bar to the proceedings going forward.

“In the context of the arbitration initiated by Pakistan against India under the provisions of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), Pakistan has taken note of the recent Decision of the Court of Arbitration, which has offered helpful clarification on certain aspects of the Court’s ‘Award on Issues of General Interpretation of the Indus Waters Treaty’, published on 8 August 2025,” the statement reads.

It further mentioned that Islamabad has also taken note of the Procedural Order issued in parallel with the decision.

The order affirms that the “Court will continue to conduct these proceedings in a phased manner and will take into account the proceedings taking place before the Neutral Expert under Article IX and Annexure F of the IWT.”