India sharply pushed back against Pakistan at the UN Security Council during an open debate on “Leadership for Peace,” rejecting Islamabad’s references to Jammu and Kashmir and calling out what it described as Pakistan’s persistent hostility toward India.

India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Harish Parvathaneni, reiterated that Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are integral parts of India, dismissing Pakistan’s claims over the region. He also criticised Pakistan for repeatedly raising the issue at multilateral forums.

On the Indus Waters Treaty, Parvathaneni said India had signed the pact decades ago in good faith but argued that Pakistan undermined the spirit of the agreement over the years through repeated conflict and cross-border terror. He described Pakistan as a major hub for terrorism and said India would keep the treaty in abeyance until Pakistan ends support for terrorism in a credible and irreversible way.

He also referred to a recent attack in Pahalgam in April, saying civilians were killed, including a foreign national, and used it to underline India’s position on Pakistan-backed violence.

In a pointed political swipe, Parvathaneni criticised Pakistan’s internal situation, referring to the jailing of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, restrictions on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), and what he called a constitution-driven power grab that allegedly granted lifetime immunity to Pakistan’s Chief of Defence Forces, Asim Munir, through a 27th amendment. He said these developments highlighted Pakistan’s approach to democracy and civilian politics.

The exchange followed comments by Pakistan’s representative, Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, who again described Jammu and Kashmir as an unresolved dispute and criticised India’s move on the Indus Waters Treaty, calling it a breach of international obligations. He said peace in South Asia cannot be pursued by one side alone.

Image Source: Google | Image Credit: Respective Owner