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The Hindu
09-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Pakistan's delegation in U.K. following talks in U.S. over conflict with India
Pakistan's high-level delegation led by former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has arrived in the U.K. following diplomatic engagements in New York over the recent military conflict with India, a media report said. The nine-member group on Sunday (June 8, 2025) held talks with United Nations representatives, diplomats from member states, and senior U.S. officials to present Pakistan's narrative on the conflict following the Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives, The Express Tribune reported. In response to the Pahalgam terror attack, India targeted terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, following which Islamabad resorted to military action, leading to clashes between the two countries' military. 'Our message was clear – Pakistan seeks peace,' former foreign secretary Jalil Abbas Jilani, a member of the delegation, said in Islamabad. Mr. Jilani said Islamabad sought the resolution of all issues, including the Indus Waters Treaty, through dialogue. Speaking to the media, lawmaker Khurram Dastgir highlighted the regional impact of the water dispute and called for the restoration of the 1960 World Bank-mediated treaty, which India said remained in abeyance until Islamabad ended its support for cross-border terrorism. 'We explained to U.S. officials that India's suspension of the treaty endangers the livelihood of 240 million people and undermines the region's stability,' he said. Mr. Dastgir stressed the water dispute was a matter of survival for Pakistan, asserting the country would not compromise on it. He pointed out that the Americans initially assumed the ceasefire brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump required no further involvement. "Our mission was to make them understand that intervention is necessary as India wants neither a neutral inquiry nor talks," he said. Mr. Trump claimed to have played a role in stopping hostilities between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam attack, a claim rejected by India. New Delhi has rejected a third-party intervention on bilateral issues with Islamabad. Senator Sherry Rehman, another member of the group, said the mission was focused on advocating for peace and ensuring the water treaty and Kashmir issue remained on the international agenda. In the U.K., the delegation is expected to meet senior British officials to highlight Pakistan's stance on the conflict and its broader implications. British Foreign Secretary David Lammy recently visited both Islamabad and New Delhi. 'We want stability, but recognise the fragility of the situation, particularly in the context of terrorism,' Mr. Lammy had said in Pakistan.
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Business Standard
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Business Standard
Facing crisis, Pak sent four letters to India asking it to end IWT abeyance
Pakistan has reportedly sent four consecutive letters urging India to reconsider its decision to place the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in abeyance following the terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed the lives of 26 tourists. Sources revealed that the letters were dispatched by Pakistan's Ministry of Water Resources Secretary, Syed Ali Murtaza, to India's Jal Shakti Ministry, which then forwarded them to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). With Pakistan now facing an escalating water crisis, the tone of these appeals has grown increasingly urgent, according to individuals familiar with the matter. The sources further noted that even after India launched Operation Sindoor, targeting terror networks in both Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK), another letter regarding the IWT was sent by Pakistan. India firm on terror and treaty abeyance India has reiterated that there can be no dialogue while terrorism persists, maintaining that 'blood and water also can't flow together.' While the IWT was originally signed in the spirit of goodwill and cooperation, New Delhi asserts that Pakistan violated this spirit by continuing to promote cross-border terrorism. India has invoked its national security prerogative and affirmed that the treaty will remain in abeyance until Islamabad 'credibly and irrevocably' halts support for cross-border terror. This suspension was approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), India's apex strategic body, shortly after the 22 April Pahalgam terror attack. This marks the first time India has suspended the World Bank-mediated agreement. Following India's military response under Operation Sindoor, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has indicated a willingness to engage in peace talks to resolve bilateral issues. This shift came after several senior Pakistani politicians appealed to the Sharif government to address what they described as a looming 'water bomb' threatening the country after India's suspension of the IWT. 'We would die of hunger if we don't resolve the water crisis now. The Indus Basin is our lifeline as three-fourths of our water comes from outside the country, nine out of 10 people depend on the Indus water basin for their living, as much as 90 per cent of our crops rely on this water and all our power projects and dams are built on it. This is like a water bomb hanging over us and we must defuse it," Pakistani senator Syed Ali Zafar said in May. History and scope of the Indus Waters Treaty Signed in 1960, the Indus Waters Treaty regulates the sharing of six rivers — Indus, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej — between India and Pakistan. India has consistently maintained that Pakistan has undermined the treaty's goodwill by supporting terror activities and obstructing essential upgrades to key water infrastructure projects. India outlines its position at the United Nations Responding to Pakistan's criticism at the UN Security Council in New York on 24 May, India's Permanent Representative, P Harish, stated, '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.' India has formally approached Pakistan multiple times in the past two years to negotiate modifications to the treaty, but Pakistan has consistently refused. 'Pakistan has continued to consistently block any changes to this infrastructure, and any modifications of the provisions, which are permissible under the treaty,' Harish said. He also emphasised that, although the treaty's preamble is based on goodwill and friendship, Pakistan has waged three wars and facilitated thousands of terror attacks on India.
Express Tribune
01-06-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
'Don't do unto others what you don't want done to you': Victor Gao warns India
Listen to article Vice President of the Center for China and Globalization Victor Gao said the Indus Waters Treaty must be respected in letter and spirit, and warned against using water as a tool of coercion. 'Never use the Indus River as blackmail against the people of Pakistan,' he remarked. 'Do not do unto others what you do not want others to do unto you.' In an interview with an Indian news channel, he called for regional cooperation on water sharing and criticised any unilateral moves to divert shared water resources. He reaffirmed China's commitment to its 'iron-clad friendship' with Pakistan, stressing that Beijing will not tolerate any attempts to undermine Pakistan's legitimate interests, particularly with regard to the peaceful use of Indus River waters under the long-standing treaty with India. 'China and India need to come up with a protocol so that the waters of the Brahmaputra can be better managed,' he said, referring to recent concerns over India's river management policies. 'This becomes more important in light of Indian government's attempt to divert water from rivers to Pakistan.' He underscored the geographical reality that most major rivers in South Asia originate in Tibet, placing China in a strategic position in terms of regional water diplomacy. 'China is in the upper stream, India in the midstream. It is not appropriate for India to interfere unilaterally with shared waters,' he said. Gao expressed hope that China, India, and Pakistan would be able to engage in dialogue on equitable water sharing in both the western (Indus) and eastern (Brahmaputra) river systems. 'Only through mutual understanding and cooperation can the region ensure the sustainable and peaceful use of these vital resources,' he concluded. Read more: Victor Gao shuts down Indian General Bakshi over anti-Pakistan terrorism taunt The statement should be seen in the backdrop of India's recent decision to "hold in abeyance" the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), a 1960 World Bank-mediated agreement governing the distribution of the Indus river system's resources. Under the treaty, Pakistan holds rights to the Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab rivers, while India controls the Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej rivers. Islamabad has warned that any attempt by India to divert or obstruct Pakistan's share of water would be treated as "an act of war," with a commitment to employ all elements of national power in response.
Arab News
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Pakistan urges Security Council to de-escalate tensions, says dialogue ‘only way' to resolve issues
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Asim Iftikhar Ahmad has urged the UN Security Council to de-escalate Islamabad's tensions with New Delhi, stating that dialogue is the 'only way' to resolve issues between the nuclear-armed nations, state-run media reported on Tuesday. A special UN Security Council session to discuss surging tensions between Pakistan and India was convened in New York on Monday at Islamabad's request. The meeting took place as fears of a military confrontation between India and Pakistan loom after ties deteriorated last month following an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 people. India has accused Pakistan of backing the Apr. 22 attack which took place in Pahalgam, a tourist spot in Indian-administered Kashmir. Islamabad has denied involvement and asked for evidence which New Delhi has so far not publicly shared. Both countries have since exchanged gunfire in Kashmir, taken diplomatic measures against each other, expelled citizens and ordered the border shut. 'Pakistan has urged the United Nations Security Council to take steps to de-escalate tensions in South Asia for global and regional peace,' state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported. The state broadcaster said Ahmad told reporters after the session ended that India's recent steps are a 'threat to peace and stability in the region and dialogue is the only way to resolve issues.' Ahmad informed Security Council members that Pakistan is ready to take part in any independent and neutral investigation into the Pahalgam attack, Radio Pakistan said. He also raised the issue of India suspending the decades-old Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance unilaterally. India suspended the 1960 World Bank-mediated treaty a day after the Pahalgam attack, saying the suspension would last until 'Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism.' Pakistan has described the suspension of the treaty as an 'act of war' and vowed to respond with full force to any attempts to divert or stop its water flow. The flare-up and exchanges of small arms fire between India and Pakistan across their de facto border in Kashmir has alarmed world and regional powers, who have called for restraint and urged the two neighbors to resolve the crisis through dialogue. Pakistan has assured foreign capitals and friendly nations that it would not be the first one to strike, according to officials. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif spoke to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday night, Radio Pakistan reported, to discuss Pakistan's ongoing tensions with India. Guterres briefed Sharif on his outreach efforts for peace and stability in the region, expressing his commitment to remain engaged with all interlocutors on the issue. Sharif appreciated the UN secretary-general's continued engagement and outreach efforts and welcomed his call for de-escalation, the state-run media reported. Pakistan and India have a history of bitter relations. They have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir, a region split between them, since gaining independence from the former British colonial rule in 1947.
Arab News
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Pakistan intends to brief UN Security Council on recent standoff with India
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Ishaq Dar, has tasked the country's envoy to the United Nations (UN) to take measures to summon a Security Council meeting for a briefing on heightened tensions with India since an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir, the Pakistani foreign ministry said on Sunday. Tensions have soared between Pakistan and India to the highest point in recent years after New Delhi blamed the attack, which killed 26 tourists in Pahalgam on April 22, on Islamabad. Pakistan has denied the allegation and called for a credible international investigation. The nuclear-armed rivals have since expelled each other's diplomats and citizens, ordered the border shut and closed their airspace to each other. New Delhi has also suspended a crucial water-sharing treaty with Islamabad, amid reports of skirmishes along their de facto border in Kashmir. The Pakistani foreign ministry said Islamabad has decided to formally brief the UNSC on the current situation in South Asia and Dar has instructed Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Pakistan's permanent representative to the UN, to arrange for it. 'Pakistan will inform the UN Security Council about India's aggressive actions, provocations and inflammatory statements,' the foreign ministry said. 'Pakistan will clarify how India's aggressive actions are jeopardizing peace and security in South Asia and beyond the region.' Islamabad will specifically highlight at the UNSC meeting India's suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, which ensures water for 80 percent of Pakistani farmland, according to its foreign ministry. India suspended the 1960 World Bank-mediated treaty a day after the Pahalgam attack, saying the suspension would last until 'Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism.' Pakistan has described the suspension of treat as an 'act of war.' Public anger has swelled in India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has vowed to pursue the attackers 'to the ends of the earth.' A Pakistani minister has said that Islamabad has 'credible intelligence' that India is planning to attack Pakistan within days. Pakistani and Indian troops have exchanged fire along their de facto border in Kashmir. The disputed region is split between India and Pakistan and claimed by both in its entirety. The two countries have fought two wars and one limited conflict over the Himalayan territory. Top Pakistani leaders have reached out to foreign capitals and senior officials in China, United States, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Egypt and other countries, amid fears that India's possible actions over the April 22 attack may lead to a wider conflict in the region. 'This important diplomatic move is part of Pakistan's efforts to present accurate facts to the international community,' the foreign ministry added.
