India has firmly responded to Pakistan’s recent statements at the United Nations regarding the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, calling out Islamabad’s continued support for cross-border terrorism. India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish, asserted that the 65-year-old treaty would remain suspended until Pakistan ends its role as a sponsor of terrorism.
The suspension of the treaty comes in the wake of the brutal terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, where 26 Hindu tourists were specifically targeted and killed by Pakistan-backed terrorists. This marked the first time that India halted the Indus Waters Treaty since it was signed on April 23, 1960. The treaty, a symbol of goodwill and cooperation despite decades of hostility, has now become a casualty of persistent terror threats.
During a debate at the United Nations, a Pakistani representative claimed that “water is life, not a weapon of war” and accused India of politicizing the treaty. In response, Ambassador Harish made it clear that India had entered the treaty in good faith, hoping to foster peace and cooperation. However, he pointed out that in the six and a half decades since, Pakistan had responded not with peace, but with aggression and bloodshed.
“Pakistan has inflicted three wars and supported thousands of terror attacks on India. Over 20,000 Indian civilians have lost their lives to Pakistan-sponsored terrorism,” Harish stated, emphasizing the cost of Islamabad’s continued hostility. He further highlighted that Pakistan’s state-sponsored terrorism aims to disrupt religious harmony, undermine economic progress, and terrorize civilians. “As long as Pakistan remains the global epicentre of terrorism, dialogue and cooperation, including under the Indus framework, cannot continue,” he said.
India’s position at the United Nations marks a clear and resolute message: meaningful engagement, including on issues like water sharing, is impossible when terrorism continues to be used as a state policy. The suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty is not merely symbolic, but a strategic signal to Islamabad and the global community about the consequences of fostering terrorism.
