Fri May 09 09:30:00 UTC 2025: ## World Bank Refuses to Intervene in India-Pakistan Indus Waters Treaty Dispute

**NEW DELHI/ISLAMABAD** – The World Bank has rejected Pakistan’s request for intervention in the ongoing dispute over the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), stating its role is limited to facilitation. This follows India’s decision to suspend the 1960 treaty after a deadly terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir, which Indian authorities blame on Pakistani nationals.

Pakistan had approached the World Bank, calling India’s suspension “unilateral and illegal,” and demanding intervention. However, World Bank President Ajay Banga clarified that the institution will not act as an arbitrator in the bilateral issue. “The World Bank’s role is merely as a facilitator,” Banga told CNBC, dismissing media speculation about the bank’s involvement.

India maintains that it has consistently honored the treaty for over six decades but has been forced to suspend it due to Pakistan’s repeated violations and obstruction of India’s legitimate rights over the western rivers. Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri stated that India had repeatedly requested negotiations with Pakistan to modify the treaty but these requests were ignored. He highlighted Pakistan’s deliberate creation of roadblocks as the reason for India’s action.

The suspension of the IWT is one of several retaliatory measures India took following the Kashmir attack. These measures include closing the Attari-Wagah border, expelling Pakistan’s top military attachés, and canceling short-term visas for Pakistani nationals.

The IWT, brokered by the World Bank in 1960, allocates the waters of the Indus River system between India and Pakistan. While India has unrestricted access to the eastern rivers, Pakistan controls the western rivers, with provisions in the treaty allowing India limited usage of the western rivers for specific purposes. The current dispute centers around India’s assertion of its rights under these provisions and Pakistan’s claim of treaty violation. Pakistan has vowed to protect its national interests “at all costs.”

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