ISLAMABAD: The United Nations Security Council on Tuesday unanimously adopted a resolution calling on member states to use peaceful means, including negotiation, mediation and judicial settlement, to resolve disputes, as Pakistan accused India of undermining a landmark water-sharing agreement.
Signed in 1960 with World Bank mediation, the Indus Waters Treaty governs the distribution of the Indus River and its tributaries between India and Pakistan, two nuclear-armed neighbors with a history of conflict. Despite strained bilateral relations over the decades, the treaty has been regarded as one of the most resilient diplomatic frameworks in South Asia.
Speaking at the UNSC’s open debate, Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said the 65-year-old Indus Waters Treaty remained a “noteworthy example of dialog and diplomacy working for peacefully arriving at a water-sharing arrangement between two neighbors.”
“The treaty has withstood periods of trials and tribulations in bilateral relations,” Dar said.
“It is most unfortunate and regrettable that India has chosen to illegally and unilaterally hold this treaty in abeyance on baseless grounds with the intention of withholding the flow of water to 240 million people of Pakistan, who rely on it for their livelihood and survival.”
Dar’s remarks came as the Security Council adopted a resolution reaffirming the importance of peaceful dispute resolution mechanisms, with all 15 of the Council’s members voting in favor.
The resolution encourages states to make full use of existing mechanisms such as “negotiation, mediation, arbitration, judicial settlement or other peaceful means,” in accordance with the UN Charter.
India decided to hold the IWT treaty “in abeyance” after a militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir killed 26 people in April. New Delhi blamed Pakistan for being behind the attack and announced a slew of punitive measures, including suspending the water sharing pact.
Pakistan denies involvement in the assault and has called for an independent international investigation.
The IWT ensures water supply for 80 percent of Pakistani farms. Pakistan has previously warned that the treaty contains no provision for unilateral withdrawal and any attempt to block or stop river water flowing into the country would be considered “an act of war.”
In May, weeks after the April attack, the most intense India–Pakistan military confrontation in decades ensued, involving a series of drone, artillery and missile strikes before a ceasefire was brokered by the US on May 10.
