India rebuffs Pakistan at UN, links Indus Waters Treaty suspension to cross‑border terrorism

At a high‑level open debate of the UN Security Council on natural‑resource governance, India’s Permanent Representative Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish responded to Pakistan’s statements. Harish accused Pakistan of using cross‑border terrorism as a tool of state policy, said such terrorism makes cooperation under the Indus Waters Treaty impossible, and reaffirmed that Jammu and Kashmir is “always, is and will remain” an integral and inalienable part of India. He warned Pakistan to resolve its internal problems before pointing fingers at New Delhi.

Pakistan’s ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad had earlier alleged that India was “weaponising water” by placing the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance, calling the move illegal and saying it threatened the livelihoods of over 240 million Pakistanis. Pakistan also raised the Kashmir issue, claiming it is the core dispute affecting South Asian stability. India rejected these claims as false, stating the treaty will stay suspended until Pakistan halts its support for terrorism. UN Secretary‑General António Guterres separately praised Pakistan’s initiative to strengthen peaceful dispute‑settlement mechanisms, but the core exchange centered on India’s rebuttal.