MEA said there is no change in India’s position on the Indus Waters Treaty
India has kept the treaty in abeyance since the April 2025 Pahalgam attack
MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal reiterated that Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh are integral to India
India's position on the Indus Waters Treaty remains unchanged, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Friday, responding to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's warning that Islamabad would respond firmly to any attempt to block Pakistan's water.
Asked about Sharif's remarks at the weekly briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, " there is no change in the way we think."
Sharif had warned India that any attempt to stop Pakistan's water would draw a "decisive response", saying water was a "lifeline" for Pakistan. "You threaten to stop our water. If you attempt such a move, Pakistan will teach you a lesson you will never forget," he said.
India placed the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance following the April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack. Indian government sources have said the treaty will not return to operation in its existing form unless Pakistan permanently halts cross-border terrorism.
Kashmir Question
Jaiswal also responded to a question on remarks by Norway's foreign minister, who discussed regional issues including Jammu and Kashmir with Pakistan during a visit to Islamabad.
"The whole of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh are integral and inalienable part of India," Jaiswal said. "The issue that should concern the international community are the atrocities currently being perpetrated in the illegal Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and the use of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir for cross-border terrorism," he added.
New Delhi has maintained that the treaty's future is linked to Pakistan's actions on cross-border terrorism, while Islamabad continues to assert its rights under the agreement. Sharif's latest comments had described water as Pakistan's "red line".
