India Rebukes Pakistan at ASEAN Forum Over Kashmir, Indus Treaty

India on Thursday strongly rebuked Pakistan for raising the Kashmir issue and the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) at the 33rd ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Ministerial Meeting in Manila, accusing Islamabad of misusing a multilateral platform to spread disinformation and deflect attention from its record of sponsoring cross-border terrorism. The exchange underscored the deepening diplomatic rift between the two neighbours following the Pahalgam terror attack.

Representing India at the meeting, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar participated in discussions as Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar called for resolving the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty through dialogue and international law. The ASEAN Regional Forum, comprising 27 participants, including ASEAN member states and key partners such as India, Pakistan, the US, China, Japan and Russia, is primarily focused on regional security and strategic cooperation.

Responding to Dar's remarks, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal categorically rejected what he termed Pakistan's "baseless and unwarranted" comments, alleging that Islamabad had once again exploited an international forum to amplify falsehoods and state-sponsored disinformation. Reiterating India's position, he asserted that Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh "have been, are and will always remain integral and inalienable parts of India," adding that Pakistan has no locus standi to comment on the matter.

On the Indus Waters Treaty, India maintained that the 1960 agreement remains in abeyance in response to Pakistan's continued sponsorship of cross-border terrorism, including the Pahalgam attack that claimed 26 civilian lives. New Delhi said the treaty would remain suspended until Pakistan "credibly and irrevocably" ends support for terrorism.

Signed in 1960 with the World Bank as facilitator, the treaty allocates the Ravi, Beas and Sutlej rivers to India and the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab rivers to Pakistan, while allowing India limited use of the western rivers. India has recently called for a complete renegotiation of the pact, arguing that changing security realities and Pakistan's continued support for terrorism have fundamentally altered the basis of bilateral cooperation.

India also condemned Pakistan's use of the term "Fitna al-Hindustan," describing it as officially sponsored disinformation intended to divert attention from its internal challenges and alleged terror infrastructure. The latest diplomatic clash reinforces New Delhi's position that terrorism and dialogue cannot go hand in hand, while rejecting any attempt to internationalise the Kashmir issue through multilateral forums.