Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, May 15: External Affairs minister S Jaishankar firmly stated on Thursday that the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) will stay suspended until Pakistan halts its support for cross-border terrorism and stops sheltering globally designated terrorist groups and individuals.
India’s decision came in the wake of the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, which left 26 people dead, including one Nepali national. The Resistance Front (TRF), linked to Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba, claimed responsibility for the attack.
Following the incident, India’s Cabinet Committee on Security, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, decided to suspend the 1960 treaty, demanding a "credible and irreversible" end to Pakistan’s terror sponsorship.
Responding to recent questions about the water-sharing accord, Jaishankar reaffirmed that the suspension would remain in place. “The government was very clear — the treaty stays in abeyance until terrorism from across the border is stopped permanently,” he said after inaugurating the Embassy of Honduras in New Delhi.
Jaishankar also emphasized that the only discussion left on Kashmir is about Pakistan vacating the illegally occupied territory in PoK, asserting that India remains open to talks — but only on that issue.
India, as part of a broader diplomatic and strategic response, has cut trade ties, closed borders, expelled Pakistani diplomats, and suspended visas for Pakistani nationals.
Prime Minister Modi, in a recent national address, clarified that India has only “suspended” its countermeasures, and future steps will depend on Pakistan’s conduct.
Reinforcing India’s tough stance, Jaishankar said the country had met its objectives in Operation Sindoor by dismantling key terrorist infrastructure. He added that India had communicated clearly at the outset that its target was terror groups, not the Pakistani military — which chose to get involved and suffered losses.
“Satellite images clearly show how much damage we inflicted and how little they managed,” Jaishankar said, underscoring the success of the operation and India’s readiness to talk — but only on terrorism.