India has once again underscored its uncompromising position on the Indus Waters Treaty, firmly rejecting Pakistan’s latest threats.

The Ministry of External Affairs reiterated that New Delhi’s stance remains unchanged, linking any revival of the 1960 accord to Islamabad taking irreversible steps to end cross-border terrorism.

The sharp response followed remarks from Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who declared that the suspension of the treaty was “illegal” and warned that Pakistan’s water supply was a “red line.” His office posted on X that “every drop of Pakistan’s water is our red line” and threatened a “direct response” if India did not alter its course.

India dismissed this rhetoric as baseless. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated during a weekly briefing that “there is no change in the way we think,” making clear that India’s decision to suspend the treaty after the April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack remains firmly in place. That attack, which killed 26 civilians, was carried out by cross-border terrorists operating from Pakistani soil.

The Pahalgam incident triggered severe hostilities. India launched Operation Sindoor to dismantle terror infrastructure, with military exchanges continuing until May 10, when Pakistan sought a ceasefire under pressure. The suspension of the treaty was thus not an isolated act but part of a broader strategic response to terrorism.

The Indus Waters Treaty, signed in September 1960, was intended to regulate the sharing of the Indus River system. Its abeyance marks a significant departure from decades of water-sharing arrangements, reflecting India’s hardened stance against Pakistan’s continued support for proxy warfare.

India also rebuffed external commentary. Norway’s Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide, during a visit to Islamabad, raised issues relating to Jammu and Kashmir. Jaiswal responded unequivocally, affirming that “the whole of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh are integral and inalienable part of India.”

He stressed that the real concern for the international community should be Pakistan’s human rights abuses in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and its use as a base for cross-border terrorism.

New Delhi has consistently highlighted atrocities in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, including suppression of dissent, denial of rights, and exploitation of resources. India has urged global actors to hold Islamabad accountable for these abuses rather than indulge its diversionary tactics.

Despite Pakistan’s repeated claims that water is its “red line,” India has made it clear that the treaty will not be revived until Islamabad credibly halts its sponsorship of terrorism. The uncompromising tone signals that New Delhi views the issue not merely as a matter of water-sharing but as inseparable from national security and sovereignty.

ANI