International Desk //

India has reacted strongly to Pakistan’s statement at the UN on the Indus Water Treaty. India’s Permanent Representative Parbhatneni Harish has called Pakistan a ‘global epicentre of terrorism’ and said that the 65-year-old treaty will remain suspended until Pakistan stops supporting cross-border terrorism.

NDTV reported this in a report on Saturday (May 24).

When Pakistan’s representative at the UN said that water is life, not a weapon of war, India responded by saying that the ‘spirit’ of the treaty has been violated by Pakistan itself many times.

Parbhatneni Harish said that the Indus Water Treaty was signed in 1960 on the basis of friendship, but since then Pakistan has faced India at war three times and has been actively involved in thousands of terrorist attacks.

India’s argument

The Indian representative said that 20,000 Indian citizens have lost their lives in terrorist attacks in four decades, for which Pakistan cannot shirk its responsibility. Yet India has shown patience and generosity so far. Structural reforms of some dams are now the need of the hour due to climate change, demand for clean energy, security threats and technological advancements. However, Pakistan has created obstacles to these reforms.

Reluctance to negotiate

Delhi alleges that despite India’s repeated requests for talks on changes and modernization of some clauses of the agreement in the last two years, Pakistan has not shown any goodwill. In this context, India said that the agreement will only be effective when Pakistan actually stops supporting terrorism.

Harish said that Pakistan is trying to gain global sympathy with this agreement, but in reality they are the main sponsors of terrorism. Unless this truth is faced, lasting peace in South Asia is not possible.

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