New Delhi/Washington, D.C.: India’s Ambassador to the United States, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, has outlined India’s position on the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in an article published in Newsweek, arguing that Pakistan has repeatedly undermined the treaty’s fundamental principles through cross-border terrorism and armed conflicts.
In the article, Ambassador Kwatra highlighted various aspects of the Indus Waters Treaty, emphasizing that the agreement was founded on the principles of goodwill, friendship, and peaceful cooperation between the two neighbouring countries.
He stated that Pakistan has systematically eroded these foundational principles by sponsoring cross-border terrorism and engaging in repeated wars, thereby weakening the spirit in which the treaty was conceived.
According to Ambassador Kwatra, the continued use of terrorism as an instrument of state policy has adversely affected the environment of trust and cooperation necessary for the effective implementation of bilateral agreements such as the Indus Waters Treaty.
The article reiterates India’s position that the treaty cannot be viewed in isolation from the broader context of bilateral relations, particularly in light of persistent security concerns arising from cross-border terrorism.
The Indus Waters Treaty, signed in 1960 with the mediation of the World Bank, governs the sharing of the waters of the Indus River system between India and Pakistan and has long been regarded as one of the world’s most enduring water-sharing agreements.