'Desist From Blaming Us': India Snubs Pakistan At UN Meet Over Shehbaz Sharif's IWT Remark

News18

01-06-2025

Last Updated:
India ripped Pakistan at a UN meeting, stating that the neighbours violated the Indus Waters Treaty through terrorism and should not blame India for putting it in abeyance.
A day after Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif raked up the Indus Waters Treaty at a UN meet, New Delhi on Saturday ripped Islamabad over 'unwarranted references" to the treaty, stating that the neighbour itself violated it through terrorism.
India further underlined that Pakistan should stop blaming it for the 'breach" of the 1960 treaty, as terrorism emanating from the other side of the border interfered with the treaty's implementation.
India had put in abeyance the Indus Waters Treaty on April 23, a huge non-military step taken a day after the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians on religious lines.
India Rips Pakistan At UN Meet
Minister of State for Environment Kirti Vardhan Singh's remarks came while addressing a plenary session of the first UN conference on glaciers in Tajikistan's Dushanbe on Saturday. Shehbaz Sharif had raked up the Indus Waters Treaty a day ago on this platform, which was snubbed by India during its address.
'We are appalled at the attempt by Pakistan to misuse the forum and to bring in unwarranted references to issues which do not fall within the purview of the forum. We strongly condemned such an attempt," Singh said.
The Minister pointed to an 'undeniable fact" that there have been fundamental changes in circumstances since the treaty was signed in 1960, and it requires a reassessment of the treaty's obligations.
'These changes include technological advancements, demographic changes, climate change, and the ongoing threat of cross-border terrorism," he said.
Singh also referred to the treaty's preamble and said that it was concluded in the spirit of goodwill and friendship and that honouring the treaty in good faith is essential.
'However, the unrelenting cross-border terrorism from Pakistan interferes with the ability to exploit the treaty as per its provisions. Pakistan, which itself is in violation of the treaty, should desist from putting the blame of the breach of the treaty on India," he said.
Shehbaz Sharif Raked Up Indus Waters Treaty At Global Forum
Addressing the International Conference on Glaciers' Preservation on Friday, the Pakistani Prime Minister said that his nation would not allow India to cross the red line by holding the treaty in abeyance, which he alleged, endangered millions of lives 'for narrow political gains".
'India's unilateral and illegal decision to hold in abeyance the Indus Waters Treaty, which governs the sharing of the Indus Basin's water, is deeply regrettable," Pakistani newspaper Dawn quoted Sharif as saying.
Pakistan has earlier described India's suspension of the treaty as an 'Act of War", with several of its politicians, including sitting and former ministers, issuing brazen threats to India on the matter.
The Indus Waters Treaty was signed between India and Pakistan in 1960 with the World Bank as a guarantor. The agreement regulates the sharing of the waters of the Indus River system between the two neighbours.
(With PTI inputs)
First Published:
June 01, 2025, 09:42 IST