India Rebuts Pakistan at UN, Reaffirms J&K as Integral Part of Nation

United Nations, July 23: India on Thursday strongly rejected Pakistan’s remarks at the United Nations, asserting that cooperation under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) cannot continue while cross-border terrorism is used as an instrument of state policy. New Delhi also reiterated that Jammu and Kashmir “has always been, is, and will remain” an integral and inalienable part of India.

Speaking during the High-Level Open Debate of the UN Security Council on Natural Resources Governance, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish, said India was compelled to respond after Pakistan attempted to use the forum to advance what he described as a false narrative.

“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,” Harish said.

His remarks came after Pakistan’s Permanent Representative, Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, accused India of “weaponizing water” by keeping the 1960 World Bank-brokered treaty in abeyance, claiming the move endangered the livelihoods of more than 240 million Pakistanis.

India suspended the treaty following the April 22, 2025, Pahalgam terror attack, maintaining that cooperation cannot continue amid persistent cross-border terrorism.

Exercising India’s right of reply, Harish reaffirmed that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India and said the only outstanding issue is Pakistan’s “illegal occupation” of Indian territory. He urged Islamabad to address its internal challenges instead of making allegations against India.

The Indian envoy also stressed that sovereign states bear the primary responsibility for managing natural resources and called for transparent governance, responsible supply chains and stronger international cooperation to curb their illicit exploitation. (Agencies)