At the 80th anniversary of the United Nations, India launched a sharp diplomatic offensive against Pakistan, strongly condemning Islamabad for promoting cross-border terrorism and dismissing Pakistan's claims on Kashmir and the Indus Waters Treaty.

India's Ambassador to the UN, Parvathaneni Harish, accused Pakistan of violating the principle of "good neighbourliness" by sponsoring terrorism that culminated in the April 22, 2025, Pahalgam attack in Jammu and Kashmir, which killed 26 innocent tourists.

Harish recalled the Security Council’s April 25 statement demanding accountability for those responsible for the attack and highlighted India's retaliatory Operation Sindoor, aimed at terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, describing it as "focused, measured, and non-escalatory" and executed with Pakistan's own request for cessation of military activities.

Harish contrasted the trajectories of the two nations, portraying India as a "mature democracy, a surging economy, and a pluralistic and inclusive society," while depicting Pakistan as "steeped in fanaticism and terrorism," and notably a "serial borrower from the IMF," suffering from terrorism and economic instability.

He emphasised the global principle of zero tolerance toward terrorism and criticized Pakistan for its hypocritical stance in the Security Council, calling out its practices as unacceptable to the international community.

In response to Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, who raised the longstanding Kashmir dispute and condemned India’s suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty after the terror attack, India reaffirmed Jammu and Kashmir as an integral and inalienable part of India while accusing Pakistan of illegal occupation of parts of the region.

India underscored the vibrant democratic participation of Kashmiris in recent elections and reiterated Pakistan’s global notoriety for harbouring over 20 UN-listed terrorist groups that carry out attacks against India.

Regarding the Indus Waters Treaty, Pakistan criticized India's unilateral suspension of the treaty, calling it "illegal" and "unilateral," and accused India of using it to withhold water vital to 240 million Pakistanis, threatening their livelihood. Pakistani officials stressed the treaty’s historic role in peacefully managing water sharing and called for its restoration.

Conversely, India rebutted these claims by highlighting fundamental changes since the treaty’s inception in 1960—including demographics, technological developments, climate change, and Pakistan's continuous support for cross-border terrorism—that necessitate a reassessment of treaty obligations. India asserted that Pakistan’s ongoing support of terrorism undermines the treaty’s implementation and that Pakistan should cease blaming India for the treaty’s abeyance.

Pakistan’s side reiterated its commitment to dialogue and peace at the UN Security Council events but insisted on the resolution of Kashmir in accordance with Security Council resolutions and the Kashmiri people's right to self-determination. Pakistan also criticised the "selective implementation" of UN resolutions and called for adherence to international law in bilateral disputes.

India used the UN's 80th anniversary as a platform to firmly rebut Pakistan’s narrative, condemning it as a perpetrator of cross-border terrorism and economic instability, defending its own counterterrorism measures including Operation Sindoor, reaffirming sovereignty over Kashmir, and justifying the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty on grounds of Pakistan’s terrorism sponsorship.

Pakistan, meanwhile, maintained its positions on Kashmir and the treaty, calling for the resumption of the treaty and adherence to its interpretation of UN resolutions, framing India as violating established agreements and international law.

Based On A TOI Report