'Pakistan put in abeyance goodwill and friendship': MEA on India suspending Indus Waters Treaty

NEW DELHI: The ministry of external affairs justified India's decision to place the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance, citing Pakistan's breach of principles guiding the agreement in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack. Briefing the parliamentary committee, foreign secretary Vikram Misri noted that the neighbouring nation effectively set aside the principles of "goodwill and friendship" enshrined in the 1960 treaty's preamble.

"The treaty in its preamble says that it is concluded in a spirit of goodwill, and friendship. All these principles have in effect been held in abeyance by Pakistan. The unrelenting cross-border terrorism from Pakistan interferes with our ability to exploit the treaty as per its provisions," the MEA said.

Moreover, the MEA said that the shifts in ground realities—ranging from advances in engineering to climate change and glacial melt—necessitate a renegotiation of the treaty's terms, a stance that visiting delegations will underscore globally as they defend India's decision to suspend the agreement, PTI reported citing sources.

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It further noted that Pakistan’s continued stonewalling of India’s requests for government-to-government talks, despite significant changes in ground realities, underscored the urgent need to renegotiate the treaty—originally framed around mid-20th century engineering techniques—to make it relevant for the 21st century.

Fundamental shifts such as climate change, glacial melt, fluctuating river flows, and changing demographics—alongside the growing need for clean energy—make it imperative to renegotiate the distribution of rights and obligations under the treaty, MEA said.

It added that given the fundamental changes in ground realities, it was both natural and well within India's rights to suspend the treaty.

Foreign secretary Misri recently briefed a parliamentary committee on India’s response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, including Operation Sindoor, and has engaged with all seven multi-party delegations visiting 33 countries and the European Union to convey India's stance amid rising tensions with Pakistan.