During the first UN conference on glaciers in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, India refuted Pakistan’s accusations regarding the breach of the Indus Waters Treaty. Kirti Vardhan Singh, India’s Minister of State for Environment, stated on Friday that Pakistan’s continuous cross-border terrorism was impeding the treaty’s implementation and that Pakistan itself was in violation.
Singh condemned Pakistan’s attempt to misuse the forum by introducing irrelevant issues. He emphasized that fundamental changes, including technological advancements, demographic shifts, climate change, and the persistent threat of cross-border terrorism, necessitate a reassessment of the 1960 treaty’s obligations. He stressed that the treaty, founded on goodwill and friendship, requires good faith adherence, which is undermined by Pakistan’s terrorism.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, also speaking at the conference, accused India of unilaterally and illegally holding the treaty in abeyance, thereby endangering millions of lives. This statement followed India’s suspension of the treaty on April 22 as a punitive measure after a terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which resulted in 26 deaths.
The Indus Waters Treaty, brokered by the World Bank, governs the sharing of the Indus River system’s waters between India and Pakistan. The three-day UN conference, attended by over 2,500 delegates from 80 UN member states and 70 international organizations, aimed to highlight the critical role of glaciers in global ecological balance and water management.
