India Suspends Indus Waters Treaty Over Pakistan Terrorism Support

During a United Nations event for World Water Day on March 19, 2026, the Government of India announced that the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) will remain in abeyance until Pakistan takes credible and irreversible steps to end its support for terrorism. Indian Permanent Representative Harish Parvathaneni stated the suspension followed a religion-based attack in Pahalgam carried out by The Resistance Front, an affiliate of Lashkar-e-Taiba.

Parvathaneni argued that the treaty is outdated and requires revision to account for climate change, demographic shifts, and advancements in dam technology. He claimed Pakistan has rebuffed all efforts to discuss these modifications. India originally paused the treaty in April 2025 in response to the Pahalgam attack, asserting that Pakistan must unconditionally abjure terrorism as an instrument of state policy before the treaty can be resumed.

The Government of Pakistan rejected these allegations as baseless and condemned the move as the weaponization of water for political gain. Pakistan's Minister of Climate Change Musadik Malik and Second Secretary Aleena Majeed asserted that the unilateral suspension violates international law and threatens regional stability and agriculture. Pakistan cited a 2025 Court of Arbitration award affirming the treaty's validity and binding nature, stating no provisions allow for such a suspension.