India strongly condemned Pakistan on Saturday for spreading disinformation about the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT). India suspended the treaty after the deadly terrorist attack on April 22 in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir.

India's Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish, criticised Pakistan over its support for terrorism and referenced the suspension of the IWT following the Pahalgam attack.

While speaking at the United Nations, Ambassador Harish said that the 65-year-old treaty would remain in abeyance. He stated that Pakistan must end its support for cross-border terrorism first. He described Pakistan as the “global epicentre of terror.”

Harish made these remarks in response to the Pakistani delegate raising the issue of the Indus Waters Treaty at the UN. The Pakistani side claimed that “water is life and not a weapon of war.”

India suspended the 1960 treaty on April 23, a day after the Pahalgam terror attack killed 26 people. Investigators found cross-border linkages to the attack.

“India has always acted in a responsible manner as an upper riparian state,” Harish said. He highlighted four points that, in his view, exposed Pakistan.

Harish emphasised the serious impact of terrorism and stated that terrorists have killed more than 20,000 Indians over the last four decades.

He said, “First, India entered into the Indus Water Treaty 65 years ago in good faith. The preamble of that treaty describes how it was concluded with spirit and friendship. Throughout the six and a half decades, Pakistan has violated the spirit of that 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 the dastardly targeted attack on tourists in Pahalgam.”

He praised India’s response during this period, saying the country demonstrated “extraordinary patience and magnanimity.”

He stated, “Pakistan’s state-sponsored cross-border terrorism in India seeks to hold hostage the lives of civilians, religious harmony and economic prosperity.”

He continued, “Second, in these 65 years, far-reaching and fundamental changes have taken place—not only in terms of escalating security concerns due to cross-border terror attacks, but also in light of increasing demands for clean energy, the challenges of climate change, and shifting demographic realities.”

He criticised Pakistan for obstructing dam safety upgrades. He said, “Technology 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.”

He explained that Pakistan’s continued refusal to discuss these updates has put civilian lives and project safety at risk. He said, “These cynical acts continue to endanger the safety of our projects and the lives of civilians.”

He added, “Third, India has formally asked Pakistan to discuss modifications on several occasions in the past two years. However, Pakistan continues to reject these, and Pakistan's obstructionist approach continues to prevent the exercise of full utilisation of the legitimate rights by India.”