India has delivered a strong message at the United Nations, signaling a firm red line in its relations with Pakistan. At The World Water Day event, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Harish Parvathaneni
declared that Pakistan would face “zero water, zero talks” until it decisively ends its support for cross-border terrorism against India. The statement follows the suspension of the Indus Water Treaty after the April 22, 2025, targeted killing of 26 Hindu tourists in Pahalgam’s Baisaran Valley, an attack carried out by Pakistan-backed operatives.
“Pakistan must choose human life over treaties,” Parvathaneni told the UN, highlighting that India entered into the Indus Waters Treaty 65 years ago in “good faith, in a spirit of goodwill and friendship.” Over the decades, India said, Pakistan has repeatedly violated the spirit of the treaty, waging three wars and orchestrating thousands of terror attacks against Indian civilians.
Referring to the Pahalgam attack, the diplomat said intelligence agencies traced the operation straight to handlers of the militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba, with active direction and support from the Inter-Services Intelligence. “Our patience and magnanimity did not change Pakistan’s ways. Eventually, we were compelled to announce that the Treaty will be held in abeyance until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably ends its support for cross-border and all other forms of terrorism directed against India,” the diplomat said.
India emphasised that suspending the treaty is a calculated move with significant economic and agricultural consequences for Pakistan, potentially more effective than past diplomatic or military measures. “Pakistan must uphold the sanctity of human life before talking of upholding the sanctity of treaties,” the statement said, adding that the country must “unconditionally abjure terrorism as an instrument of its state policy.”
By linking water-sharing to Pakistan’s role in global terrorism, India framed the suspension as both a moral and strategic decision.
