Pakistan warns against India’s ‘malevolent designs’ to block water flow at UNSC

A senior Pakistani diplomat has strongly criticized India’s “malevolent designs” aimed at obstructing the flow of water guaranteed to Pakistan under the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty.

He urged New Delhi to cease any actions that would halt, divert, or limit the natural flow of rivers to downstream regions.

“We will never accept any such moves,” said Ambassador Usman Jadoon, Pakistan’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, during a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Arria Formula Meeting on the theme ‘Protecting Water in Armed Conflict’. He accused India of attempting to weaponize water as a means of pressure.

Arria Formula meetings are informal sessions that allow Security Council members to hold candid and private discussions on significant issues.

The meeting—organized by Slovenia in collaboration with Algeria, Panama, Sierra Leone, and the Global Alliance to Spare Water from Armed Conflicts—brought together the 15-member Council to focus on safeguarding water resources during armed conflicts.

Opening the discussion, Slovenia’s State Secretary Melita Gabric underscored the essential need to protect water sources and related infrastructure in times of war. “Protection of civilians and civilian objects under international humanitarian law is non-negotiable,” she stated.