India has delivered a sharp response to Pakistan at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), asserting that continued cross-border terrorism has fundamentally eroded the trust required for cooperation under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT). New Delhi also firmly rejected Pakistan's remarks on Jammu and Kashmir, reiterating its long-standing position that the Union Territory is an inseparable part of India.

Speaking during the UNSC High-Level Open Debate on "Natural Resources Governance: the Foundation of Peace, Security and Prosperity", India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Harish Parvathaneni, accused Pakistan of misusing the international platform to promote what he described as a false narrative on bilateral issues.

Addressing the Indus Waters Treaty, the Indian envoy said the agreement was built on mutual trust and goodwill, conditions that, according to India, cannot exist while cross-border terrorism continues to be used as an instrument of state policy.

"Our position on the Indus Waters Treaty remains clear and consistent. Cooperation based on mutual trust and goodwill cannot be expected when cross-border terrorism is regularly deployed as an instrument of State policy," the ambassador said during the debate.

India also used the opportunity to reiterate its position on Jammu and Kashmir, dismissing Pakistan's claims over the region. Ambassador Parvathaneni stated that Jammu and Kashmir "has always been, is, and will remain an integral and inalienable part of India."

He further asserted that the only unresolved issue relating to Jammu and Kashmir concerns what India describes as Pakistan's illegal occupation of parts of Indian territory.

The diplomatic exchange comes months after India placed the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance following the April 22, 2025 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, in which 26 people were killed. After the attack, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) announced that the six-decade-old treaty would remain suspended until Pakistan takes what India describes as credible and irreversible steps to end support for cross-border terrorism.

According to government sources, New Delhi believes the circumstances under which the treaty was signed in 1960 have changed significantly due to persistent security concerns, changing developmental priorities, population growth and climate-related challenges.

India has also accused Pakistan of bypassing the treaty's dispute resolution framework. Officials said the agreement provides for a sequential process beginning with bilateral discussions, followed by reference to a Neutral Expert and, only if necessary, a Court of Arbitration. However, India maintains that Pakistan directly approached the Court of Arbitration, making those proceedings unacceptable from New Delhi's perspective.

Government sources further alleged that Pakistan has repeatedly objected to Indian hydropower projects on the eastern rivers despite those projects falling within India's rights under the treaty. At the same time, officials argued that Pakistan has not adequately developed its own water storage and river management infrastructure.

Officials also disclosed that India formally approached Pakistan in 2023 seeking discussions on modernising the treaty to reflect present-day realities, including advances in engineering, climate change, increasing water demand and population growth. According to the government, those proposals did not lead to meaningful progress.

Meanwhile, India is preparing to accelerate several strategic hydropower projects in the Chenab river basin to utilise the water resources allocated to it under the treaty framework. Key projects include the 1,856 MW Sawalkote Hydroelectric Project, 1,000 MW Pakal Dul Project, 850 MW Ratle Project, 624 MW Kiru Project, and the 540 MW Kwar Project.

The government also plans to undertake sediment flushing and reservoir management at the Salal and Baglihar hydroelectric projects to improve storage capacity, enhance operational efficiency and strengthen dam safety.

India's latest remarks at the United Nations underline the widening diplomatic divide between New Delhi and Islamabad over terrorism, water-sharing arrangements and Jammu and Kashmir. With the Indus Waters Treaty remaining in abeyance, future engagement on the agreement is expected to depend on broader political and security developments between the two neighbouring countries.