UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan has accused India of engaging in “water terrorism” by unilaterally placing the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance, warning the United Nations Security Council that such actions violate international law and threaten regional peace and stability.
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Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, raised the issue during a Security Council debate on “Energy, Critical Minerals and Security” held under the agenda item “Maintenance of International Peace and Security.”
Addressing the council, Ambassador Ahmad said the competition for natural resources has historically been linked to instability and conflict. He stressed that natural resources should instead serve as instruments of shared prosperity and economic development.
He noted that growing global demand for critical minerals and other resources has created new geopolitical pressures. If not managed responsibly, he warned, such competition could disrupt supply chains, increase tensions among nations and undermine national sovereignty.
Highlighting the importance of water resources, the Pakistani envoy said shared water systems are essential for sustaining life and promoting sustainable development.
“We reject the weaponisation of water to choke this lifeline for lower riparians, which also threatens regional peace, security and stability,” he told the council.
Ambassador Ahmad said Pakistan was facing “water terrorism” from India, accusing New Delhi of taking unilateral and unlawful steps by suspending the Indus Waters Treaty, which governs the distribution of water from the Indus river system between the two countries.
He urged the international community to press India to return to full compliance with the treaty, noting that it remains legally valid following the August 2025 award of the Court of Arbitration.
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The envoy also warned that competition over mineral wealth in regions affected by weak governance and poverty could increase instability. Illicit extraction and trafficking networks, he said, often fuel conflict, weaken institutions and deprive populations of legitimate economic benefits.