This was in response to a Pakistani representative saying that โwater is life and not a weapon of warโ
On Friday, India explained its decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty. It said that it was only because of Pakistan-initiated wars and repeated terror attacks. India said that Pakistan was responsible for the violation of the 1960 Indus water agreement and not it itself.
Indiaโs permanent ambassador to the UN, Parvathaneni Harish spoke on behalf of India. He said that the 65-year standing treaty will be in abeyance until Pakistan stops its support to cross-border terrorism. He called Pakistan a โglobal epicentre of terrorโ, while addressing the President of the UN.
This was in response to a Pakistani representative saying that โwater is life and not a weapon of warโ.
โIndia has always acted in a responsible manner as an upper riparian state,โ Mr Harish said
Mr Harish said, โFirst, India entered into the Indus Water Treaty 65 years ago in good faith. The preamble of the treaty describes that the treaty was concluded in a spirit of goodwill and friendship. Throughout the six and a half decades, Pakistan has violated the spirit of the treaty by inflicting three wars and thousands of terror attacks on India. In the last four decades, more than 20,000 Indian lives have been lost in terror attacks, the most recent of which was a dastardly targeted terror attack on tourists in Pahalgam last month.โ
He said that India has displayed โextraordinary patience and magnanimityโ throughout this period.
โPakistan state-sponsored cross-border terrorism in India seeks to hold hostage the lives of civilians, religious harmony, and economic prosperity.โ
โSecond, 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,โ Mr. Harish stated.
โTechnology 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,โ Mr. Harish said.
โFour, 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,โ he added.
โIt is clear that it is Pakistan which remains in violation of the Indus Waters Treaty,โ he said.
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