Indus Water Treaty To Remain Suspended Until Pakistan Ends Cross-Border Terror: India Tells UN

India on Saturday (24 May) slammed Pakistan over its "disinformation" on the Indus Water Treaty at the United Nations.

The treaty was suspended by India last month after the deadly terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on 22 April, in which 26 innocent people, mostly tourists, were killed by Pakistan.

India's Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish, said the 65-year-old treaty will remain in abeyance until Pakistan, a "global epicentre of terror", ends its support for cross-border terrorism.

Harish was responding to Pakistani representative raising the treaty issue at the UN, saying “water is life and not a weapon of war".

India suspended the 1960 treaty on 23 April, just a day after the Pahalgam terror attack after investigations confirmed "cross-border" link to the terror attack.

"India has always acted in a responsible manner as an upper riparian state," Harish said as he highlighted four points that "exposed" Pakistan.

"First, India entered into the Indus Water Treaty 65 years ago in good faith. The preamble of that treaty describes how it was concluded with spirit and friendship. Throughout the six and a half decades, Pakistan has violated the spirit of that treaty by inflicting three wars and thousands of terror attacks on India," he said, NDTV reported.

Harish said that over 20,000 Indians have been killed in terrorist attacks in the last four decades.

India, he said, displayed “extraordinary patience and magnanimity” despite enduring decades of provocation and loss.

"Pakistan state-sponsored cross-border terrorism in India seeks to hold hostage the lives of civilians, religious harmony, and economic prosperity," he said.

"Second, in these 65 years, far-reaching fundamental changes have taken place, not only in terms of escalating security concerns through cross-border terror attacks but also growing requirements for producing clean energy, climate change, and demographic change," the Indian Envoy said.

"Technology for dam infrastructure has transformed to ensure safety and efficiency of operations and water use. Some of the old dams are facing serious safety concerns. However, Pakistan has continued to block consistently any changes to this infrastructure and any modifications of the provisions which is permissible under the treaty," he said

Harish recalled a 2012 terror attack on the Tulbul navigation project in J&K, pointing to the recurring risks posed to Indian infrastructure.

"These cynical acts continue to endanger the safety of our projects and the lives of civilians," he said.

"Third, India has formally asked Pakistan to discuss modifications on several occasions in the past two years. However, Pakistan continues to reject these, and Pakistan's obstructionist approach continues to prevent the exercise of full utilisation of the legitimate rights by India," he stated.

"Four, it is against this backdrop that India has finally announced that the treaty will be in abeyance until Pakistan, which is a global epicentre of terror, credibly and irrevocably ends its support for cross-border terrorism," Harish added.

"It is clear that it is Pakistan which remains in violation of the Indus Waters Treaty," he said.

The Pahalgam terror attack sharply escalated India-Pakistan tensions, setting off a chain of military actions.

On 7 May, India launched Operation Sindoor, targeting terror camps in Pakistan and PoK after finding cross-border links in the attack, in response to the Pahalgam terror attack.

Pakistan attempted to retaliate with a barrage of missiles and drones, which India thwarted.

In retaliation, Indian armed forces hit multiple airbases in Pakistan. A ceasefire on May 10 ended the hostilities.

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