Pakistan hides terror behind civilian shields: India at UNSC

In a forceful intervention at the United Nations Security Council, India accused Pakistan of spreading disinformation over the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) and of shielding terrorists under the pretext of protecting civilians.

Delivering India's statement at the UNSC's Arria Formula Meeting on "Protecting Water in Armed Conflict - Protecting Civilian Lives," India's Permanent Representative to the UN, Parvathaneni Harish, categorically refuted Pakistan's claims on IWT and condemned its obstructionist stance on treaty amendments.

This marked India's first UNSC statement since the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor.

Harish said Pakistan has consistently blocked permissible modifications to ageing water infrastructure, despite formal requests by India. "Some of the old dams are facing safety concerns. Pakistan has continued to block any changes to this infrastructure permissible under the Treaty," he noted.
Citing decades of hostility, Harish underlined that Pakistan had violated the treaty's spirit by waging wars and sponsoring thousands of terror attacks on India, which have killed over 20,000 civilians in the last four decades.

India accused Pakistan of deliberate attacks on Indian border villages, resulting in over 20 civilian deaths and more than 80 injuries, including shelling of places of worship and medical facilities.

"To preach at this body after such behaviour is grossly hypocritical," Harish said, asserting that Pakistan has "no credentials to speak on civilian protection" given its track record of targeting civilians and sheltering terrorists.

He further added that Pakistan routinely uses civilian populations as shields for terror infrastructure and called on the global community to end tolerance for such tactics.