India on the Indus treaty move at the UN: Pahalgam, the final straw after decades of violence in Pakistan
India said at the United Nations on Friday that the decision to put the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan on hold in the wake of the Pahalgam terrorist incident was the consequence of a careful process that was influenced by several considerations. New Delhi clarified that the 1960 water-sharing deal had been broken by Pakistan, not by India.
India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Parvathaneni Harish, denied the “disinformation spread by the Pakistani delegation” about the Indus Waters Treaty. He listed the main reasons why the treaty was suspended, including recurrent acts of cross-border terrorism, the most recent of which was the Pahalgam attack.
“India acted in good faith when it signed the Indus Water Treaty 65 years ago. According to the treaty’s preamble, the agreement was reached in an atmosphere of friendship and goodwill. Pakistan has breached the spirit of the treaty by attacking India in three wars and thousands of terror strikes over the past six and a half decades. The envoy informed the Security Council that over 20,000 Indians had died in terror acts over the past forty years, the most recent of which was a heinous targeted attack on tourists in Pahalgam last month.
Despite Islamabad’s support for terrorism against India, he emphasized, New Delhi has “shown extraordinary patience and magnanimity” during this time. “Pakistan’s state-sponsored cross-border terrorism in India seeks to hold hostage the lives of civilians, religious harmony, and economic prosperity,” he stated.
Ambassador Harish claims that in addition to regional security considerations, the decision was also required due to India’s energy needs and dam safety.
“In these 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,” he said.
The Security Council was informed by the UN diplomat that improvements in dam infrastructure technology have led to a notable increase in operational efficiency and safety. Nonetheless, there are still significant safety risks associated with some older dams.
However, Pakistan has persistently blocked any amendments to the treaty-permissible provisions and any changes to this infrastructure. Terrorists even targeted Jammu and Kashmir‘s Tulbul Navigation Project in 2012. The safety of our initiatives and the lives of civilians are still in jeopardy because of these callous actions,” he said.
According to Harish, India has also repeatedly requested in writing that Pakistan talk about the treaty’s changes over the last two years. “Pakistan’s obstructionist approach continues to prevent the exercise of full utilization of the legitimate rights by India,” according to Pakistan, which has refused to accept these.
The deal will remain in limbo until Pakistan, “a global epicentre of terror, credibly and irrevocably ends its support for cross-border terrorism,” according to India’s final announcement.
Pakistan continues to violate the terms of the Indus Water Treaty.
The three eastern rivers—the Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej—were given to India by the World Bank-mediated Indus Waters Treaty, which was signed on September 19, 1960, while the three western rivers—the Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab—were given to Pakistan. The deal, which is considered to be one of the most effective transboundary water-sharing accords in the world, allowed India restricted, non-consumptive usage of the western rivers.
However, after a terrorist incident in the Baisaran Valley of Jammu and Kashmir that it attributed to militants supported by Pakistan, India terminated the treaty on April 23. Even though the countries agreed to cease firing, the water deal is still suspended.