Pakistan reacts to PM Modi's Indus Waters Treaty jibe in Gujarat speech

PM Narendra Modi said on Tuesday that Pakistan has been feeling the heat of India's suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty.

Pakistan on Wednesday reacted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's strong speech in Gujarat, saying his remarks were “regrettable”. In a statement, the country's foreign office claimed PM Modi's remark on the Indus Waters Treaty reflects a “departure from international norms”.

A police officer keeps vigil outside the Pakistan's ministry of foreign affairs, in Islamabad. (AFP file photo)

In response to the Pahalgam terror attack by Pakistan-based terrorist groups, India last month put in abeyance the Indus Waters Treaty, which governs water sharing between the two nations.

Days after the Indian armed forces dismantled nine terrorist bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir using precision strikes, PM Modi visited his home state, Gujarat, on Tuesday and said that India will no longer consider acts of terrorism as mere proxy war.

He also said Pakistan has been feeling the heat of India's suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty.

"His references to weaponising water, a shared, treaty-bound resource, reflect a troubling departure from international norms and a stark contrast between India’s conduct in the region and its declared global ambitions," said Pakistan's foreign office.

It urged India to "return to the core principles of international order, including respect for sovereign rights of others and its treaty obligations, as well as restraint in both language and action".

It added that "jingoism may stir applause on the campaign trail, but it undermines long-term peace and stability".

What PM Modi said in Gujarat

PM Modi said that India will not consider terrorism as a proxy war because Pakistani military officials had attended the funerals of terrorists killed in Operation Sindoor.

"Until now, we used to call these terror attacks a proxy war. But after the May 7 [Operation Sindoor strikes], we can no longer make the mistake of calling it a proxy war," Modi said in Gandhinagar.

“The funerals of these terrorists were state-sponsored. Pakistan’s flags were placed on their coffins, and their army saluted them…This was a planned strategy. It is a planned war,” he added.

Modi referred to the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan and said that India had not even begun to fully use the water resources granted under the agreement. "Only 2-3% water was left for us. We have not done much yet, but even that has made them sweat,” he said.

With inputs from PTI