Pakistan 'Destroyed' Pact's Spirit 'Bit By Bit': India Envoy To US On Indus Treaty Freeze

Published 2 August 2026 · local

Pakistan 'Destroyed' Pact's Spirit 'Bit By Bit': India Envoy To US On Indus Treaty Freeze Published By, Last Updated: August 02, 2026, 14:16 IST On

Pakistan 'Destroyed' Pact's Spirit 'Bit By Bit': India Envoy To US On Indus Treaty Freeze Published By, Last Updated: August 02, 2026, 14:16 IST On the issue of renewed India-Pakistan dialogue, the envoy argued that past attempts had failed to deliver meaningful results. Vinay Kwatra noted that the Indus Waters Treaty allocated the three eastern rivers of the Indus basin to India. India’s Ambassador to the United States Vinay Kwatra defended New Delhi’s decision to place the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in abeyance, saying Pakistan had effectively “destroyed" the spirit of the landmark water-sharing agreement long before India suspended it. Writing in an opinion piece published in the US-based magazine Newsweek, Vinay Kwatra argued that the 1960 treaty was built on the principles of “goodwill and friendship" but Pakistan gradually eroded those foundations through decades of its conduct.

“Pakistan spent half a century dismantling that goodwill and friendship. The abeyance merely acknowledges what Pakistan’s conduct had already destroyed," Vinay Kwatra wrote. His remarks come weeks after Pakistan reportedly hosted a conference in Islamabad criticising India’s decision to suspend the treaty. Referring to the event, Vinay Kwatra said a former Pakistani foreign minister had threatened war if Islamabad’s demands over the Indus river system were not met. He described such rhetoric as part of Pakistan’s “standard policy option" to divert attention from its internal challenges. Recalling the origins of the treaty, Vinay Kwatra noted that the Indus Waters Treaty allocated the three eastern rivers of the Indus basin to India while granting Pakistan rights over the three western rivers. He pointed out that the arrangement gave Pakistan access to nearly 80 per cent of the basin’s waters, leaving India with around 20 per cent.

Despite what he described as an unequal distribution, Vinay Kwatra said India continued to honour the agreement for decades. However, he accused Pakistan of repeatedly blocking India’s efforts to modernise or renegotiate the treaty to reflect technological advancements and facilitate greater hydropower development. “Bit by bit, Pakistan eroded India’s faith that it could exercise its rights under the treaty, or hope for a better one suited to today’s realities," he wrote. On the issue of renewed India-Pakistan dialogue, the envoy argued that past attempts had failed to deliver meaningful results. “Those advocating talks between India and Pakistan have not taken note of the history of these talks in the past or they must believe that doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is not insanity," he wrote. Quoting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vinay Kwatra reiterated India’s position: “Terror and talks cannot go together… Terror and trade cannot go together… Water and blood cannot flow together." News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit Location: Washington D.C., United States of America (USA) First Published: August 02, 2026, 14:16 IST News india Pakistan 'Destroyed' Pact's Spirit 'Bit By Bit': India Envoy To US On Indus Treaty Freeze Disclaimer: Comments reflect users’ views, not News18’s.