Daijiworld Media Network – Dushanbe

Dushanbe, Jun 1: India has strongly rejected Pakistan's accusations of breaching the Indus Waters Treaty, stating that Pakistan’s continued cross-border terrorism is a major obstacle to the treaty’s implementation.

Speaking at the UN Conference on Glaciers in Tajikistan’s Dushanbe, union minister of State for Environment Kirti Vardhan Singh said Pakistan has misused the global forum to raise irrelevant issues.

“We are appalled at Pakistan’s attempt to misuse this platform. It is they who are violating the spirit of the treaty through unrelenting terrorism,” Singh said, calling for a reassessment of the treaty given the drastic changes in circumstances since it was signed in 1960.

The minister cited technological and demographic shifts, climate change, and cross-border terrorism as major changes that call for a fresh look at the treaty’s obligations.

India’s remarks came after Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif accused India of holding the Indus treaty “in abeyance” and putting millions of lives at risk. His comments followed India's suspension of the treaty after the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, which killed 26 people.

Signed in 1960 with the World Bank as guarantor, the Indus Waters Treaty governs water-sharing between India and Pakistan.

The three-day UN glacier conference, attended by over 2,500 delegates from 80 countries, ends Saturday and focuses on glacier preservation and water security.