India's Permanent Representative P. Harish on Wednesday delivered a direct warning to Pakistan at the United Nations Security Council, stating that the Indus Waters Treaty will remain in abeyance for as long as Islamabad continues to deploy cross-border terrorism as an instrument of state policy. The statement came during a high-level open debate on 'Natural Resource Governance: The Foundation of Peace, Security and Prosperity'.

India's Position at the Security Council

'Our position on the Indus Water Treaty remains clear and consistent,' Harish told the Council. '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,' he added.

The remarks were a direct response to Pakistan's Permanent Representative Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, who alleged that India was 'unilaterally and illegally placing the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance' and linked the suspension to the Jammu and Kashmir dispute.

Why the Treaty Was Suspended

India suspended the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty following the Pahalgam attack in April last year, in which Pakistan-based terrorists killed 24 people at the tourist resort in a religiously motivated assault. Prime Minister Narendra Modi encapsulated the government's rationale in a single line: 'Water and blood cannot flow together.' Trade with Pakistan was also suspended in the aftermath of the attack.

The treaty, which had governed the sharing of the waters of the Indus river system between the two countries for over six decades, has now been placed in indefinite abeyance pending a change in Pakistan's conduct.

India's Stand on Jammu and Kashmir

Harish firmly rejected Pakistan's framing of Jammu and Kashmir as a disputed territory. 'The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir has always been, is, and will remain an integral and inalienable part of India,' he said. 'This is the constitutional and legal reality that Pakistan deliberately chooses to ignore.'

He further stated that the 'only outstanding issue' regarding Jammu and Kashmir is what he described as Pakistan's 'naked aggression and illegal occupation of India's sovereign territory.' Notably, a UN Security Council resolution adopted on 21 April 1948 had demanded that Pakistan withdraw its troops and nationals from Jammu and Kashmir and cease aiding those fighting there — a directive that India argues remains unimplemented.

Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir: Killings Since June

Harish also drew the Council's attention to reported killings in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, stating that over 30 people have been killed by Pakistani security forces since June while putting down protests. In the most recent incident cited, six Kashmiris were killed by security forces in Tararkhal on 14 July.

'Instead of pointing fingers at India, Pakistan would serve itself and its people far better by putting its own house in order,' Harish said.

What Comes Next

India has not indicated any timeline for restoring the treaty, tying its revival explicitly to a verifiable end to cross-border terrorism. The exchange at the Security Council underscores that the Indus Waters Treaty — long considered one of the world's most durable water-sharing agreements — has now become a direct instrument of diplomatic pressure in the India-Pakistan standoff.