New Delhi, May 15 External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar on Thursday made it clear that the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) will remain suspended until Pakistan stops sheltering internationally designated terrorist entities and individuals who are also engaged in cross-border terrorism against India.
New Delhi had put the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 in abeyance immediately after the terrorist attack on April 22 in Pahalgam, in which 25 Indians and one Nepali citizen were killed and a number of others sustained injuries. The Resistance Front (TRF), an international terrorist organisation affiliated to the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), had claimed responsibility for the killings.
Reflecting zero tolerance for terrorism, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) which had met under the Chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced that the treaty will be held in abeyance until Pakistan "credibly and irrevocably" abjures its support for cross-border terrorism.
"Water issues have been raised. I re-emphasise that the CCS and the government obviously was very clear that the Indus Waters Treaty is held in abeyance and will be continued to be held in abeyance until cross-border terrorism by Pakistan is credibly and irrevocably stopped. Sometimes, the Kashmir has been brought up... Again, the only thing which remains to be discussed on Kashmir is the vacation of the illegally occupied Indian territory in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, we are open to discussing that with Pakistan," EAM Jaishankar told reporters after the inauguration of the Embassy of Honduras in New Delhi.
The Indus Water Treaty, which was signed in 1960, governs the sharing of the waters of six rivers — Indus, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej — between India and Pakistan.
India also took several other measures, including closure of trade and borders with Pakistan, expelling diplomats from the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi, and suspending visas of Pakistani nationals in India.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his address to the nation on Monday, said that India has only "suspended" its retaliatory action against Pakistan's terror and military camps.
"In the coming days, we will measure every step of Pakistan on the criterion that what sort of attitude Pakistan will adopt ahead," said PM Modi.
EAM Jaishankar also said that India has achieved "key goals" that it set out to do by destroying the terrorist infrastructure during Operation Sindoor.
"I think the Prime Minister made it very clear that the only talks with Pakistan will be on terror. Pakistan has a list of terrorists who need to be handed over, they have to shut down the terrorist infrastructure. They know what to do. We are prepared to discuss with them what is to be done on terrorism. Those are the talks which are feasible," said Jaishankar.
He also cleared India's stance on cessation of firing and the military action.
"We achieved the goals which we set out to do by destroying the terrorist infrastructure. Since key goals were achieved, I think we reasonably took the position, because even at the start of the operation, we had sent a message to Pakistan saying we are striking at terrorist infrastructure, we are not striking at the military and the military has an option of standing out and not interfering in this process. They chose not to take that good advice. Once they got badly hit on the morning of May 10. Today, the satellite pictures which actually bring out graphically how much damage we did and how little damage they did," Jaishankar stated.
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