India slams Pakistan over IWT issue at UNSC, says state-sponsored cross-border terrorism erodes basis for cooperation

Responding to Pakistan during the High-Level Open Debate of the UNSC on Natural Resources Governance: the Foundation of Peace, Security and Prosperity, India's Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Harish Parvathaneni, said Pakistan had misused the forum to advance a "false narrative".

"It was not our intention to bring other issues in this forum, but my delegation is compelled to respond to Pakistan, as it has chosen to misuse today's discussion to peddle its false narrative," the Ambassador said.

Reaffirming India's position on the Indus Waters Treaty, he said, "Our position on the Indus Water Treaty remains clear and consistent. Cooperation on the basis of mutual trust and goodwill cannot be expected when cross-border terrorism is regularly deployed as an instrument of State policy."

Parvathaneni further reiterated that the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir will always remain "an integral and inalienable part of India," saying that Pakistan has deliberately ignored the constitutional and legal position.

"As for the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, it has always been, is, and will remain an integral and inalienable part of India. This is the constitutional and legal reality that Pakistan deliberately chooses to ignore," the ambassador said.

He added that the only unresolved issue concerning Jammu and Kashmir is Pakistan's "naked aggression and illegal occupation" of Indian territory and urged Pakistan to address its internal challenges instead of levelling allegations against India.

"The only outstanding issue with regard to Jammu and Kashmir is the naked aggression and illegal occupation of India's sovereign territory by Pakistan. Instead of pointing fingers at India, Pakistan would serve itself and its people far better by putting its own house in order," Parvathaneni added.

Following the April 22, 2025 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, in which 26 people were killed, India kept the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance after a Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting of April 23, 2025 and asserted that the conditions under which the treaty was negotiated have fundamentally changed.

According to sources, the treaty can no longer function in its present form and will remain in abeyance until Pakistan "credibly and irrevocably" ends its support for cross-border terrorism. Sources said any reconsideration of the 1960 treaty would arise only thereafter as part of a renegotiation process.

Sources further said Pakistan's attempts to portray itself as a victim and mobilise international support on the issue have not gained traction.

According to sources, the treaty provides for a staggered dispute resolution mechanism, beginning with government-to-government engagement, followed by recourse to a Neutral Expert and only thereafter, if required, to a Court of Arbitration.

Sources maintained that Pakistan violated the treaty's provisions by directly approaching the Court of Arbitration, and therefore India is not bound by those proceedings.

Pakistan has consistently objected to India's activities on the eastern rivers, which fall under India's jurisdiction under the treaty, while failing to develop adequate water storage and dam infrastructure on its own side. They added that Pakistan's attempts to blame India for its water challenges reflected "double standards."

Sources stated that India had formally asked Pakistan in 2023 to reassess and update the treaty in view of present-day realities, including changes in population, developmental needs, climate challenges and technological capabilities. However, Pakistan declined to engage on the issue.

"The Treaty was based on the engineering techniques of the 1950s. Since then, India's population demographics, need to generate clean energy, water demand for irrigation and drinking water, climate change challenges and technological capabilities have changed fundamentally," sources said.

Pakistan has repeatedly misused the treaty's dispute resolution mechanisms by escalating technical objections relating to Indian hydropower projects to international forums and simultaneously pursuing proceedings before both the Neutral Expert and the Court of Arbitration.

Sources reiterated India's longstanding position that the Court of Arbitration was "illegally constituted" and that its proceedings, awards and decisions are "null and void" and carry no legal effect.

They argued that the conditions under which the treaty was negotiated in 1960 had fundamentally changed due to Pakistan's sustained support for cross-border terrorism.

Sources further stated that all institutional mechanisms under the treaty, including meetings of the Permanent Indus Commission, inspections and routine exchanges of hydrological and project-related data, remain inoperative while the treaty is in abeyance.

However, they said India will continue issuing flood warnings to Pakistan on humanitarian grounds.

India voluntarily issued 23 flood warnings during the last flood season outside the treaty framework and is expected to continue doing so to safeguard lives and property.

Sources also outlined plans to accelerate hydropower development in the Chenab basin, identifying the 1,856 MW Sawalkote Hydroelectric Project, the 1,000 MW Pakal Dul Project, the 850 MW Ratle Project, the 624 MW Kiru Project and the 540 MW Kwar Project as priority projects.

In addition, India will undertake sediment flushing and reservoir management at projects such as Salal and Baglihar to restore storage capacity, improve dam safety and enhance hydropower efficiency. These measures are internationally accepted engineering practices rather than attempts to alter downstream river flows.

Pakistan's water challenges stem primarily from domestic mismanagement, including inadequate storage infrastructure, ageing irrigation systems and inefficient water use, rather than upstream development by India.

Reiterating India's broader position, sources said the focus during the period in which the treaty remains in abeyance would be on optimal utilisation of India's legitimate share of the Indus waters through scientific basin management, infrastructure modernisation, clean energy generation and strengthening water security. (ANI)