Pakistan violated spirit of Indus Waters Treaty by inflicting three wars, thousands of terror attacks: India tells U.N. 

In this screenshot via @IndiaUNNewYork on X on May 24, 2025, Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations Harish Parvathaneni delivers India’s statement at the Arria Formula Meeting on Protecting Water in Armed Conflict – Protecting Civilian Lives, at the U.N. headquarters, in New York.
| Photo Credit: PTI

India ripped through Pakistan’s “disinformation” at the U.N. on the Indus Waters Treaty, asserting that Islamabad violated its spirit by inflicting three wars and thousands of terror attacks on India that seek to hold hostage lives of civilians, religious harmony and economic prosperity.

“We are constrained to respond to the disinformation being carried out by the delegation of Pakistan with regard to the Indus Waters Treaty. India has always acted in a responsible manner as an upper riparian state,” India’s Permanent Representative to U.N. Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish said on Friday (May 23, 2025).

Mr Harish was addressing the U.N. Security Council Arria Formula meeting organised by the Permanent Mission of Slovenia on ‘Protecting Water in Armed Conflict – Protecting Civilian Lives.’

Mr Harish highlighted four aspects to expose the “disinformation” by Pakistan, which spoke about India’s decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty.

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In the wake of the horrific April 22 Pahalgam attack in Jammu and Kashmir in which 26 civilians were killed, India had decided that the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 would be held in abeyance with immediate effect until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism.

Mr Harish told the U.N. meeting that India had entered into the Indus Waters Treaty 65 years ago in good faith.

Noting that the Preamble of the Treaty describes that it was concluded ‘in a spirit of good will and friendship’, Mr Harish said throughout these six and a half decades, “Pakistan has violated the spirit of the treaty by inflicting three wars and thousands of terror attacks on India.”

The Indian envoy underlined that in the last four decades, more than 20,000 Indian lives have been lost in terror attacks, the most recent of which was the dastardly targeted terror attack on tourists in Pahalgam.

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Even as India has shown extraordinary patience and magnanimity throughout this period, Mr Harish said, Pakistan’s “state-sponsored cross-border terrorism in India seeks to hold hostage the lives of civilians, religious harmony and economic prosperity.”

He pointed out that India has formally asked Pakistan to discuss the modifications of the Treaty on several occasions in the past two years but Islamabad continues to reject these.

“Pakistan’s obstructionist approach continues to prevent the exercise of full utilisation of legitimate rights by India,” he said.

Further, Mr Harish said that in the past 65 years, 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.

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“Technology for dam infrastructure has transformed to ensure the safety and efficiency of operations and water use. Some of the old dams are facing serious safety concerns,” he said, adding that Pakistan has continued to “consistently block” any changes to this infrastructure, and any modifications of the provisions, which is permissible under the Treaty.

He noted that in 2012, terrorists even attacked the Tulbul Navigation Project in Jammu and Kashmir.

“These cynical acts continue to endanger the safety of our projects and the lives of civilians.

“It is against this backdrop that India has finally announced that the treaty will be in abeyance until Pakistan, which is a global epicentre of terror, credibly and irrevocably ends its support for cross-border terrorism. It is clear that it is Pakistan which remains in violation of the Indus Waters Treaty.”

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Earlier in the day, Mr Harish delivered a strong response to Pakistan at a UNSC open debate on ‘Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict’, calling out Pakistan’s “grossly hypocritical” behaviour and asserting that a nation that makes no distinction between terrorists and civilians has no credentials to speak about protecting civilians.

After Pakistan’s Ambassador at the U.N. Asim Iftikhar Ahmad raked the Kashmir issue and spoke about the recent conflict between the two nuclear-armed countries, Mr Harish slammed Pakistan’s baseless allegations and said India experienced decades of Pakistani-sponsored terrorist attacks across its borders.

“This has ranged from the horrific 26/11 attack on the city of Mumbai to the barbaric mass murder of innocent tourists in Pahalgam in April 2025. The victims of Pakistani terrorism have been predominantly civilians since its objective has been to attack our prosperity, progress and morale. For such a nation to even participate in a discussion on the protection of civilians is an affront to the international community,” Mr Harish said.

Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated after the Pahalgam attack, which claimed 26 lives. India launched Operation Sindoor under which it carried out precision strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in the early hours of May 7, following which Pakistan attempted to attack Indian military bases on May 8, 9 and 10.

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The Indian side responded strongly to the Pakistani actions. The on-ground hostilities ended with an understanding on stopping the military actions following talks between the directors general of military operations of both sides on May 10.

Mr Harish told the U.N. Security Council that Pakistan has repeatedly used civilian cover to advance the cause of terrorism.