India Tells UN: Kashmir Non-Negotiable, Indus Treaty Suspended Over State Terrorism
India has firmly rejected Pakistan's remarks at the United Nations, stating that cooperation under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) cannot continue when cross-border terrorism is used as an instrument of state policy. India also reiterated that Jammu and Kashmir has always been, is, and will remain an integral and inalienable part of the country.
The statement was made on Wednesday by India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish, during a High-Level Open Debate of the UN Security Council on Natural Resources Governance. He exercised India's right of reply after Pakistan's representative made what India called a 'false narrative' about the Indus treaty and Kashmir.
Ambassador Harish said: 'Our position on the Indus Water Treaty remains clear and consistent. Cooperation on the basis of mutual trust and goodwill cannot be expected when cross-border terrorism is regularly deployed as an instrument of state policy.'
Pakistan's Permanent Representative, Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, had earlier accused India of 'weaponising water' by placing the IWT in abeyance, calling the move 'illegal' and claiming it threatens the livelihoods of over 240 million Pakistanis. The IWT, signed in 1960 and brokered by the World Bank, governs the sharing of waters from six rivers of the Indus basin, allocating eastern rivers to India and western rivers largely to Pakistan.
India suspended the treaty following the April 22, 2025, Pahalgam terror attack, stating that cooperation cannot proceed in the face of cross-border terrorism.
On Kashmir, Ambassador Harish stated: 'As for the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, it has always been, is, and will remain an integral and inalienable part of India. This is the constitutional and legal reality that Pakistan deliberately chooses to ignore.' He added that the only outstanding issue is Pakistan's 'naked aggression and illegal occupation' of Indian territory, and advised Pakistan to focus on its own internal affairs.
The Indian envoy also highlighted that the illicit exploitation and trafficking of natural resources can fuel armed conflicts, but stressed that natural resources should serve as engines of development for sovereign states. He called for transparent, accountable governance and stronger international cooperation to curb illicit exploitation.
