Indus Water Treaty will remain postponed until ‘centre of terrorism’ Pakistan reforms itself: India

United Nations, 20 March. India has reiterated that the Indus Water Treaty will remain suspended until Pakistan, the “global epicenter of terrorism”, mends its ways. India’s Permanent Representative P Harish said at an event organized on the occasion of World Water Day on Thursday that Pakistan should “respect the sanctity of human life before talking about maintaining the sanctity of treaties.” He said, “India has always been a responsible high water state but responsibility is a two-way street. Pakistan needs to completely give up using terrorism as an instrument of its state policy.”

Harish’s statement came at a time when Pakistan portrayed the Indus Water Treaty as if it was a casualty party, while the theme of the event was to ensure access to safe water and sanitation for all, which is linked to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations. Harish said, “India signed this treaty in 1960 in the spirit of harmony and friendship but Pakistan violated this spirit and launched three wars and thousands of terrorist attacks on India.”

“Tens of thousands of innocent Indians became victims of Pakistan-sponsored terrorist attacks,” he said. India suspended the Indus Water Treaty signed with Pakistan after the religion-based terrorist attack in Pahalgam by The Resistance Front last year. He said, “Our tolerance and generosity did not change Pakistan’s ways. Ultimately we had to announce that this treaty would remain suspended until Pakistan, the global epicenter of terrorism, credibly and irreversibly ends its support for all forms of terrorism.”

He said there have been fundamental changes in the region in the last 65 years due to technological, demographic and ecological changes, which Pakistan continues to refuse to discuss. “All our efforts with Pakistan on amending the treaty were rejected,” he said. Speaking on the theme of the event, he said that World Water Day falls on Sunday, March 22 this year and India has given high priority to the Sustainable Development Goal of universal access to safe water and sanitation. “Through Jal Jeevan Mission, India is implementing one of the largest programs in the world by supplying piped drinking water to rural households,” he said.

This mission, which started in 2019, has so far provided safe tap water to 81.76 percent of rural households (total 1.58 crore). “Community participation is the cornerstone of this effort, with village water committees, many of them led by women, playing a key role in planning, monitoring and maintaining local water systems,” he said. He added, “Our collective efforts at the United Nations will be most effective when focused on areas that connect us, such as strengthening national capacities, especially in developing countries, fostering technological innovation and advancing scientific cooperation.”