NEW DELHI: India has said that Pakistan should stop blaming it for the breach of the Indus Water Treaty, as the unrelenting cross-border terrorism from its soil is interfering with the treaty's implementation.
Addressing the plenary session of the first UN conference on glaciers in Tajikistan's Dushanbe on Friday, Minister of State for Environment Kirti Vardhan Singh said that Pakistan itself was violating the treaty through terrorism.
"We are appalled at the attempt by Pakistan to misuse the forum and to bring in unwarranted references to issues which do not fall within the purview of the forum. We strongly condemned such an attempt," he said.
Singh said it is an undeniable fact that there have been fundamental changes in circumstances since the Indus Waters Treaty was signed, which requires a reassessment of the treaty's obligations.
These changes include technological advancements, demographic changes, climate change and the ongoing threat of cross-border terrorism, he said.
The minister said that the treaty's preamble states it was concluded in the spirit of goodwill and friendship, and that honouring the treaty in good faith is essential.
"However, the unrelenting cross border terrorism from Pakistan interferes with an ability to exploit the treaty as per its provisions.
"Pakistan, which itself is in violation of the treaty, should desist from putting the blame of the breach of the treaty on India," he said.
At the International Conference on Glaciers' Preservation, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday said his country would not allow India to cross the red line by holding the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance and endangering millions of lives for narrow political gains.
"India's unilateral and illegal decision to hold in abeyance the Indus Waters Treaty, which governs the sharing of the Indus Basin's water, is deeply regrettable," Pakistani newspaper Dawn quoted Sharif as saying.
Following the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which killed 26 people, India announced the suspension of the treaty as part of several punitive measures against Pakistan.
The Indus Waters Treaty, signed in 1960 between India and Pakistan with the World Bank as a signatory, governs the sharing of the Indus River system's waters between the two countries.
The three-day UN conference on glaciers, which ends on Saturday, aims to highlight the important role of glaciers in maintaining global ecological balance and addressing water-related challenges.
The conference is being attended by over 2,500 delegates from 80 UN member states and 70 international organisations.