"20,000 Indians Killed In Terrorist Attacks": India Blasts Pakistan At UN

India on Saturday slammed Pakistan over its "disinformation" on the Indus Waters Treaty, which was suspended after a deadly terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam last month.

India's Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish, said the 65-year-old treaty was put into abeyance due to Pakistan's state-sponsored terrorism.

His response came after the Pakistani representative raked up the agreement issue at the UN, saying "water is life and not a weapon of war".

India suspended the treaty, which was signed in 1960, on April 23, a day after the Pahalgam attack left 26 people dead. New Delhi's action came after it found "cross-border linkages" to the dastardly terror attack.

"India has always acted in a responsible manner as an upper riparian state," Mr Harish said as he highlighted four aspects that "exposed" Pakistan.

"First, India entered into the Indus Water Treaty 65 years ago in good faith. The preamble of that treaty describes how it was concluded with spirit and friendship," Mr Harish said.

"Throughout the six and a half decades, Pakistan has violated the spirit of that treaty by inflicting three wars and thousands of terror attacks on India," he added.

He also said that over 20,000 Indians have been killed in terrorist attacks in the last four decades. 

"Pakistan state-sponsored cross-border terrorism in India seeks to hold hostage the lives of civilians, religious harmony, and economic prosperity," he said.

"Second, 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," the Indian Ambassador said.

"Technology for dam infrastructure has transformed to ensure safety and efficiency of operations and water use. Some of the old dams are facing serious safety concerns. However, Pakistan has continued to block consistently any changes to this infrastructure and any modifications of the provisions which is permissible under the treaty," he said

Mr Harish said that in 2012, terrorists even attacked the Tulbul navigation project in Jammu and Kashmir. 

"These cynical acts continue to endanger the safety of our projects and the lives of civilians," he said.

"Third, India has formally asked Pakistan to discuss modifications on several occasions in the past two years. However, Pakistan continues to reject these, and Pakistan's obstructionist approach continues to prevent the exercise of full utilisation of the legitimate rights by India," he stated.

"Four, it is against this backdrop that India has finally announced that the treaty will be in abeyance until Pakistan, which is a global epicentre of terror, credibly and irrevocably ends its support for cross-border terrorism," Mr Harish added.

"It is clear that it is Pakistan which remains in violation of the Indus Waters Treaty," he said.

Tensions between India and Pakistan have increased following the Pahalgam attack.

India, after finding cross-border links to the attack, launched "Operation Sindoor" on May 7 and struck terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

Pakistan then launched a massive missile and drone attack, but the threats were thwarted. In retaliation, Indian forces struck airfields in Pakistan. A ceasefire on May 10 ended the hostilities.

Trending News