
UN backs peaceful dispute resolution as Pakistan slams India over water treaty suspension
Signed in 1960 with World Bank mediation, the Indus Waters Treaty governs the distribution of the Indus River and its tributaries between India and Pakistan, two nuclear-armed neighbors with a history of conflict. Despite strained bilateral relations over the decades, the treaty has been regarded as one of the most resilient diplomatic frameworks in South Asia.
Speaking at the UNSC's open debate, Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said the 65-year-old Indus Waters Treaty remained a 'noteworthy example of dialog and diplomacy working for peacefully arriving at a water-sharing arrangement between two neighbors.'
'The treaty has withstood periods of trials and tribulations in bilateral relations,' Dar said.
'It is most unfortunate and regrettable that India has chosen to illegally and unilaterally hold this treaty in abeyance on baseless grounds with the intention of withholding the flow of water to 240 million people of Pakistan, who rely on it for their livelihood and survival.'
Dar's remarks came as the Security Council adopted a resolution reaffirming the importance of peaceful dispute resolution mechanisms, with all 15 of the Council's members voting in favor.
The resolution encourages states to make full use of existing mechanisms such as 'negotiation, mediation, arbitration, judicial settlement or other peaceful means,' in accordance with the UN Charter.
India decided to hold the IWT treaty 'in abeyance' after a militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir killed 26 people in April. New Delhi blamed Pakistan for being behind the attack and announced a slew of punitive measures, including suspending the water sharing pact.
Pakistan denies involvement in the assault and has called for an independent international investigation.
The IWT ensures water supply for 80 percent of Pakistani farms. Pakistan has previously warned that the treaty contains no provision for unilateral withdrawal and any attempt to block or stop river water flowing into the country would be considered 'an act of war.'
In May, weeks after the April attack, the most intense India–Pakistan military confrontation in decades ensued, involving a series of drone, artillery and missile strikes before a ceasefire was brokered by the US on May 10.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Arab News
5 hours ago
- Arab News
India nearing free trade deal with Oman, minister says after UK pact
NEW DELHI: India's free trade agreement with Oman is almost finalized, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has announced, only days after New Delhi signed a long-awaited trade pact with the UK. Negotiations between India and Oman on a comprehensive economic partnership agreement formally began in November 2023, with the first round in New Delhi and the second in Muscat. When the talks concluded in March 2024, Oman sought revisions on market access terms and the final signature was postponed. 'We are in negotiations at an advanced stage with Oman — almost finalized,' Goyal told reporters on Saturday evening, two days after he signed a multibillion-dollar free trade deal with the UK. 'The free trade agreement between India and UK, the Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement, clearly reflects the growing relevance and importance of India at the world stage.' Under the pact, about 99 percent of Indian goods will get duty-free access to the UK market, and bilateral trade is expected to increase by over $34 billion in the next decade from the current $54 billion. India has free trade agreements with more than 10 countries, including comprehensive economic partnership agreements with South Korea, Japan, and the UAE. It is also in talks with the EU to conclude an FTA by the end of 2025, and also with Australia, with an interim deal signed in 2022 and a full one under negotiation. If India finalizes its pact with Oman, it will be its second with a Gulf Cooperation Council country after the 2022 CEPA with the UAE. While Oman is one of New Delhi's smaller GCC trading partners — trailing behind the UAE and Saudi Arabia, with bilateral trade volume accounting for about $10 billion — it remains strategically important, particularly in energy and logistics. The FTA could further deepen these ties, Anil Wadhwa, New Delhi's former envoy to Muscat, told Arab News. 'India and Oman both are set to benefit a lot from this FTA ... Oman and India have a trade volume between $8 billion and $10 billion annually, and 700 Indian companies have invested in Oman,' he said. 'Oman was keen on an FTA on the lines of the UAE. The main negotiations took less than 90 days. Since then, Oman wanted further concessions in petrochemicals and in marble ... It is understood that these negotiations are now nearing a closure.' Economic cooperation plays a crucial role in India-GCC relations, with exports to India representing 71 percent of the bloc's total exports. India has been pursuing a free trade pact with the whole bloc for the past two decades. A framework agreement on economic cooperation was signed in 2004, but two rounds of negotiations, in 2006 and 2008, were inconclusive. The agreement would give India access to a large and affluent market for its goods and also concessions on visas in a region, which is a second home for about 9 million Indian expat workers. In January, GCC Secretary General Jasem Mohammed Al-Budaiwi said that the grouping would look forward to starting free trade negotiations with India in 2025.


Arab News
5 hours ago
- Arab News
Saudi FM: Conference to implement two-state solution reflects kingdom's position on Palestinian cause
RIYADH: Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan announced on Sunday a conference in partnership with France that calls for recognizing a Palestinian state and implementing the two-state solution. The Saudi minister said the conference, to be held later this week, reflects the kingdom's firm stance towards the Palestinian cause and its efforts to achieve a just and comprehensive peace. Prince Faisal said: 'The kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in partnership with France, is chairing a high-level international conference on the peaceful settlement of the Palestinian issue and the implementation of the two-state solution at the ministerial level, which will be held this week at the United Nations headquarters with wide international participation.' French President Emmanuel Macron announced that he intends to recognise a Palestinian state in September at the UN General Assembly. Saudi Arabia welcomed Macron's 'historic decision.' 'The Kingdom reiterates its call for all countries that have not yet recognised the State of Palestine to take similar positive steps and adopt serious positions that support peace and the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.'


Arab News
6 hours ago
- Arab News
Pakistan suspends road travel to Iran, Iraq citing security concerns
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi announced on Sunday that the government will not allow pilgrims to travel to Iran and Iraq by road for the Arbaeen pilgrimage this year, citing public safety and national security concerns for the ban. Thousands of Pakistani citizens visit Iran and Iraq annually for religious tourism and to visit religious sites, including observing Arbaeen (Arabic for 'forty'), a significant religious occasion in Shia Islam. It marks the end of a 40-day mourning period for Imam Hussain, who was 'martyred' in the Battle of Karbala in 680 AD. Travelers to Iran and Iraq by road have often been targeted in sectarian attacks by armed groups in Pakistan's restive southwestern Balochistan province, which shares a border with Iran. Islamabad's decision comes in the wake of a rise in militant attacks in the province by ethnic Baloch militant groups, who demand a greater share of the province's mineral resources from Islamabad. 'After extensive consultations with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Balochistan Government, and security agencies, it has been decided that Zaireen will not be allowed to travel to Iraq and Iran by road for Arbaeen this year,' Naqvi wrote on X. After extensive consultations with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Balochistan Government, and security agencies, it has been decided that Zaireen will not be allowed to travel to Iraq and Iran by road for Arbaeen this year. This difficult decision was taken in the interest of… — Mohsin Naqvi (@MohsinnaqviC42) July 27, 2025 The interior minister said this 'difficult decision' was taken in the interest of public safety and national security. However, he said Shia pilgrims will be allowed to travel by air to Iran and Iraq. 'Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has directed authorities to arrange maximum flights to facilitate their pilgrimage in the coming days,' he wrote. A Pakistani immigration official told Arab News earlier this month that Islamabad plans to overhaul its pilgrimage travel policy to Iraq, Iran and Syria after authorities confirmed around 40,000 Pakistani pilgrims went missing or overstayed in the three countries over the past decade. Pakistan's Religious Affairs Minister Sardar Muhammad Yousaf revealed this month that 40,000 Pakistani pilgrims had either overstayed or gone missing in these countries without any official record of their whereabouts. In response, Pakistani authorities have scrapped the long-standing 'Salar system,' in which private group leaders managed travel logistics, and are introducing a new centralized, computerized structure to track and regulate pilgrim movement more effectively. Mustafa Jamal Kazi, Pakistan's director general of Immigration and Passports, said a new Ziyarat Management Policy has been finalized by the government under which pilgrims will only be allowed to travel in organized groups, and licensed tour operators will be held directly responsible for ensuring that all group members return to Pakistan before their visas expire. Any operator found violating the policy or failing to ensure the return of all pilgrims will have their license canceled.