Pakistan has asked India to stop resorting to false narratives and instead begin a dialogue to resolve outstanding issues after India’s top leadership made irresponsible allegations.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said a day earlier that Pakistan would not get water from rivers over which India has rights, a month after a deadly attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) led New Delhi to suspend a key river water-sharing treaty between the neighbours.
“Pakistan will have to pay a heavy price for every terrorist attack … Pakistan’s army will pay it, Pakistan’s economy will pay it,” Modi said at a public event in the northwestern state of Rajasthan, which borders Pakistan.
In a statement, the Foreign Office said that Pakistan categorically rejects the baseless, provocative, and irresponsible allegations made by the Indian prime minister during the public address in Rajasthan.
“The remarks, replete with distortions, misrepresentations, and inflammatory rhetoric, are clearly aimed at stoking regional tensions for narrow political gains,” the Foreign Office noted.
Modi was referring to the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), negotiated by the World Bank in 1960, which was among a slew of measures announced by India against Pakistan last month after the April 22 attack that killed 26 men, mostly Hindu tourists.
New Delhi accused Pakistan of the attack without presenting evidence and launched missile strikes on Pakistani cities, triggering the worst military clashes in nearly 30 years before both sides agreed to a ceasefire on May 10.
The Indus treaty provides water for 80% of Pakistan’s farms from three rivers that flow from India, but Pakistan’s finance minister said this month that its suspension was not going to have “any immediate impact”.
The Foreign Office added that statements, such as those of Modi, not only reflect a deliberate attempt to mislead the public but also violate the norms of responsible statecraft.
“Resorting to threats and boasting about military action against a sovereign nation is a grave breach of the United Nations Charter and established principles of international law. This dangerous approach undermines regional peace and stability.”
This is a developing story and is being updated with more details.
