March 20, 2026
India, Pakistan trade accusations as Indus Waters Treaty remains in abeyance
A landmark water-sharing treaty between India and Pakistan will remain suspended, or as Delhi puts it: “in abeyance,” the country told the United Nations.
between India and Pakistan will remain suspended, or as Delhi puts it, “in abeyance,” India told the United Nations.
India’s permanent envoy to the UN, Parvathaneni Harish, speaking at a UN forum to mark World Water Day, urged Islamabad to end support for terrorism before raising treaty-related issues.
Harish said the Indus Waters Treaty would stay suspended until Pakistan “unconditionally abjure terrorism as an instrument of its state policy. It must uphold the sanctity of human life before talking of upholding the sanctity of treaties.”
“India entered into the Indus Water Treaty 65 years ago in good faith, in the spirit of good will and friendship. Pakistan violated this spirit by inflicting three wars and thousands of terror attacks on India,” he said, adding that India’s “patience” did not “change Pakistan’s way.”
Pakistan called the terrorism allegations “baseless.”
Pakistan’s Second Secretary Aleena Majeed said the treaty does not allow unilateral “suspension or modification or so-called ‘abeyance.’ Such actions amount to the weaponization of water for narrow political gains, jeopardizing the lifelines of millions,” she said.
India announced its decision to hold the treaty in abeyance after the 2025 attack in Indian-administered Kashmir, where militants shot and killed 26 civilians. The attack sparked military clashes between India and Pakistan that ended with a cease-fire.
New Delhi accused Islamabad of backing the attack — a claim Pakistan denies. India has long maintained, including on international platforms, that Pakistan uses terrorism as a tool of statecraft.
The Indus is the longest river in South Asia, stretching more than 3,000 kilometers (1,864 miles). Its complex network of tributaries flows from Tibet, through divided Kashmir, and into Pakistan before emptying into the Arabian Sea near Karachi.
To read more about the Indus Water Treaty and what its abeyance means,click here.
