India on Thursday accused Pakistan’s leadership of deliberately fuelling anti-India sentiment to divert attention from its domestic shortcomings.

“It is a well-known modus operandi of the Pakistani leadership to whip up anti-India rhetoric time and again to hide their own failures,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at the ministry’s weekly briefing.

Responding to recent remarks from Pakistani leaders, Jaiswal said there was a “continuing pattern of reckless, war-mongering and hateful comments” against India. He warned that Islamabad “would be well-advised to temper its rhetoric, as any misadventure will have painful consequences, as was demonstrated recently.”

Jaiswal also spoke about India-US relations, saying the partnership had “weathered several changes in leadership and challenges” and that New Delhi remained “committed to a substantive agenda” between the two countries.

“We are hopeful we can move forward based on mutual respect and shared interests,” he added.

"The India–U.S. defence partnership, underpinned by foundational defence agreements, is an important pillar of the bilateral partnership,” Jaiswal said.

“This robust cooperation has strengthened across all domains. We are expecting a U.S. Defence Policy Team to be in Delhi in mid-August.” He added that the 21st edition of the joint military exercise Yudh Abhyas is also expected to take place later this month in Alaska. Both sides remain engaged to convene the 2+2 Intersessional meeting at the working level towards the end of this month.

Answering a reporter’s question on the award by the Court of Arbitration under the Indus Waters Treaty, Jaiswal repeated India’s firm rejection of the process. "India has never accepted the legality, legitimacy, or competence of the so-called Court of Arbitration. Its pronouncements are therefore without jurisdiction, devoid of legal standing, and have no bearing on India’s rights of utilisation of waters. India also categorically rejects Pakistan’s selective and misleading references to the so-called ‘award’," Jaiswal said.

He added that, as stated in the government’s 27 June 2025 press release, “the Indus Waters Treaty stands in abeyance by a sovereign decision of the Government of India, taken in response to Pakistan’s continued sponsorship of cross-border terrorism, including the barbaric Pahalgam attack.”