At a United Nations Human Rights Council session in Geneva, India strongly criticised Pakistan for politicising the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960, particularly in the aftermath of the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. India argued that enduring cooperation on the treaty relies on trust, not on state-sponsored terrorism, which it said erodes the very foundation of treaty obligations.
Diplomat Anupama Singh highlighted that while the treaty was signed in 1960 in a spirit of goodwill, “the world of 1960 is not the world of today.” She accused Pakistan of deliberately using the Council to divert attention from core issues, stating, “The escalating impact of climate change, advancement in technology, and the growing imperative of sustainable clean energy compels a serious reevaluation of the treaty's relevance and applicability in today's context.” Singh stressed that a party consistently violating a treaty cannot credibly accuse the other of non-compliance.
India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty on April 23, a day after Pakistan-backed terrorists killed 25 tourists and a local pony operator in Jammu and Kashmir’s Baisaran Valley. The suspension will remain until Pakistan “credibly and irreversibly” renounces its support for cross-border terrorism.
The 1960 treaty, brokered by the World Bank, historically allowed India control over the eastern rivers — Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej — and Pakistan rights over the western rivers — Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab — even though they originate in Jammu and Kashmir. India’s suspension has caused a severe water shortage in Pakistan, with reservoirs at critically low levels and agriculture suffering significant losses.
Pakistan has urged India to reinstate the treaty, claiming commitment to its full implementation, but India maintains its firm stance. In May, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated that “water and blood cannot flow together,” underscoring India’s position that cross-border terrorism and cooperation on water resources cannot coexist.
