Key facts
- India says Indus Waters Treaty remains 'in abeyance'
- India tells Pakistan to stop backing terror before dialogue
- Pakistan rejects India's terrorism allegations as baseless
- India also conveyed views on the Teesta river
India has reaffirmed that the Indus Waters Treaty stands suspended — officially 'in abeyance' — and delivered a blunt message to Pakistan: terrorism must stop before any bilateral engagement can meaningfully resume. The Ministry of External Affairs, responding to what it described as Pakistani 'warnings,' said India's position on the treaty is consistent and has not changed, according to reports by The Times of India and Hindustan Times.
India also conveyed its views on the Teesta river in the same round of diplomatic communications, signalling a broader posture of reasserting water-rights positions across multiple river systems. The moves come in the wake of heightened tensions following the Pahalgam attack, after which India formally placed the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty — a landmark agreement that had survived multiple wars — in abeyance.
Pakistan has pushed back sharply, rejecting India's terrorism accusations as 'baseless allegations' and issuing its own warnings about the consequences of disrupting water flows. Islamabad has framed the treaty suspension as a violation of international law and has signalled it may seek international arbitration or escalate the matter at multilateral forums.
The standoff has far-reaching implications. The Indus river system is the lifeline for Pakistan's agriculture and a significant resource for northern India. With no diplomatic off-ramp currently visible, both sides appear locked into positions that could have lasting consequences for one of South Asia's most critical shared resources.