India slams Pakistan in UN: Must ‘credibly’ end terror support, 20,000 Indians killed in terrorist attacks

In a pointed diplomatic salvo at the United Nations, India has put its suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty squarely in the context of Pakistan’s continued support for cross-border terrorism.

Citing over 20,000 Indian lives lost to terror in the past four decades, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish, declared that the treaty — signed in 1960 with the promise of peace — will remain in abeyance until Pakistan ends its support for terrorism “credibly and irrevocably.”

His remarks followed renewed Pakistani assertions on the treaty and come weeks after a deadly attack in Pahalgam that India links to Pakistan-based elements.

Over a week after Pakistan signaled openness to discuss India’s concerns over the Indus Waters Treaty, New Delhi reiterated its hardened position at the United Nations. India's envoy said the suspension of the treaty was a necessary response to “disinformation” propagated by the Pakistani delegation.

India labelled Pakistan a “global epicentre of terror,” warning that the treaty will not be reinstated unless Islamabad ends its support for cross-border terrorism. Speaking at a UN Security Council debate on civilian protection, Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish said, “Let us be clear: Protection of civilians should not serve as an argument for protection of UN-designated terrorists.”

He challenged Islamabad’s claims that civilians were targeted during India’s Operation Sindoor, pointing to what he called an “open nexus” between terrorists and Pakistan’s military. Addressing another session — the Arria Formula meeting on water security in conflict zones — Harish dismantled Pakistan’s narrative further.

“India has always acted in a responsible manner as an upper-riparian state,” he said. Harish outlined four key facts to counter Pakistan’s claims, beginning with a reminder that India entered the treaty “in good faith” 65 years ago, and that the spirit of the agreement has been violated repeatedly through wars and terror attacks. “In the last four decades, more than 20,000 Indian lives have been lost in terror attacks,” he said, citing the recent killing of 26 people in Pahalgam.

Harish added that India had, on several occasions over the past two years, formally requested modifications to the treaty, which were consistently rebuffed by Pakistan. “Pakistan's obstructionist approach continues to prevent the exercise of full utilisation of the legitimate rights by India,” he said.

India suspended the treaty on April 23, the day after the Pahalgam attack in Jammu and Kashmir. Though the two nations have agreed to a ceasefire in the region, the water-sharing accord remains on hold. Pakistan’s representative, meanwhile, framed the issue as humanitarian, saying, “water is life and not a weapon of war.”

But for India, the suspension is not just strategic — it is a statement. “Pakistan’s state-sponsored cross-border terrorism in India seeks to hold hostage the lives of civilians, religious harmony, and economic prosperity,” said Harish.