‘20,000 Indian lives lost in terror attacks’: India tears into Pakistan’s terror sponsorship at UN
Indian Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish responded at the UN to Pakistan’s comments on the Indus Waters Treaty, reaffirming India’s stance amid ongoing tensions.
India on Saturday lashed out at Pakistan for spreading disinformation about the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), which was suspended following the deadly terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam on April 22.
Addressing the United Nations, India’s Permanent Representative, Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish, said the 65-year-old treaty would remain in abeyance until Pakistan, described by him as the “global epicentre of terror”, ends its support for cross-border terrorism.
Harish’s remarks came in response to the Pakistani representative raising the issue of the Indus Waters Treaty at the United Nations, asserting 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 claimed 26 lives. New Delhi’s decision followed the discovery of “cross-border linkages” to the brutal assault.
“India has always acted in a responsible manner as an upper riparian state,” Harish said as he highlighted four points that exposed Pakistan.
Harish underlined the severe impact of terrorism, revealing that over 20,000 Indians have been killed in attacks over the past four decades.
“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,” the Indian Ambassador said.
He also praised India’s response during this time, describing it as demonstrating “extraordinary patience and magnanimity.”
“Pakistan’s state-sponsored cross-border terrorism in India seeks to hold hostage the lives of civilians, religious harmony, and economic prosperity,” he said.
“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 added.
India slams Pakistan for obstructing dam safety
“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 said
He added that Pakistan’s ongoing obstruction and rejection of India’s requests to discuss treaty modifications have jeopardised the safety of projects and civilians, preventing India from fully exercising its legitimate rights.
“These cynical acts continue to endanger the safety of our projects and the lives of civilians. 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,” he said.
