India has strongly rebutted Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s criticism of its suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, calling his remarks at a global forum both unwarranted and misplaced. The response came a day after Sharif, speaking at a UN conference on glacier preservation in Tajikistan, accused India of “weaponising water” by halting the 1960 treaty that governs water sharing from the Indus River basin.
Union Minister Kirti Vardhan Singh, representing India at the same conference, firmly dismissed Sharif’s comments. “We are appalled at the attempt by Pakistan to misuse the forum and bring in unwarranted references to issues which do not fall within its purview,” Singh said, stressing that Pakistan itself is violating the treaty through its continued sponsorship of cross-border terrorism.
India’s move to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty was announced following the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, in which 26 civilians were killed. The attackers were believed to be Pakistan-based militants. The suspension is part of a wider set of measures India has adopted to increase pressure on Islamabad over terrorism.
Shehbaz Sharif had called India’s decision “deeply regrettable” and a “unilateral, illegal act” that risked the lives of millions. He vowed that Pakistan would not allow the “red line” to be crossed.
Responding directly, Singh said that while India remains committed to international cooperation, the treaty must be reassessed due to major changes in circumstances since it was signed over six decades ago — including climate change, demographic shifts, technological advancements, and the threat of terrorism. He emphasized that terrorism undermines the very foundation of trust and cooperation that the treaty was built upon.
Singh also cited the treaty’s preamble, which stresses that it was founded “in the spirit of goodwill and friendship.” He asserted that this spirit is incompatible with persistent violations by Pakistan and reaffirmed India’s stance that the treaty’s provisions cannot be fully implemented in the face of sustained hostility.
In conclusion, India called on Pakistan to stop deflecting blame and instead focus on ending support for terrorism if it genuinely wants to preserve regional stability and cooperation on shared resources like water.
