Assessing the Relevance of Indus Waters Treaty to the International Law on NonNavigational Uses of the International Watercourses

Abstract

Indus Waters Treaty is the most comprehensive and complex document which divides Indus Rivers System between India and Pakistan. It has continued to function through three wars and various political tensions between both neighboring states. It was signed in 1960 when no international law was available to deal the non-navigational uses of the international watercourses. Since the Helsinki rules were adopted by the International Association of Law in 1966 and the United Nations Convention on International Water Courses was approved by the United Nations General Assembly in 1997, both documents have little effect on the terms and conditions of the Indus Waters Treaty. This paper is an attempt to explore the relevance of the provisions of the Treaty to the contemporary international law on non-navigational uses of the international rivers