‘Desperate attempt to cover up its own failings’: MEA slams Pakistan minister’s war threat over Indus Waters Treaty

In a sharp retort to Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif’s comments regarding India’s decision to put the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Tuesday said that the remarks were a “desperate attempt” by Islamabad to “cover up its own failings.”

“Such remarks are desperate attempts by Pakistan to cover up its own failings and divert attention away from its human rights abuses. We categorically reject these fabricated claims with the contempt they deserve,” MEA Official Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.

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He further highlighted the gross violations of human rights and large-scale protests in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, saying they are a “direct consequence of Pakistan’s decades-long policy of systematic economic exploitation, denial of fundamental rights, and administrative oppression in areas under its illegal and forcible occupation.”

Jaiswal said that Pakistan has inflicted atrocities on civilians, using brutal measures, including the blocking of essential supplies and medicines, internet blackouts, and the use of lethal force against unarmed protesters.

“As you know, several people have lost their lives as a result. We hope that the international community will hold Pakistan accountable for its actions, misdeeds, and human rights abuses,” Jaiswal added.

The MEA response came after Asif, while reacting to India’s decision to continue the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, warned that Islamabad would go to war with New Delhi if its water security were threatened.

“The moment we feel that our national security, and water is part of our national security, is being threatened, we will go to war against India. Definitely,” the Pakistani minister said.

India had put the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan in abeyance in May last year as part of its diplomatic response to the Pahalgam terrorist attack.

Asif said that if Pakistan found that India was working at an “alarming speed” to disrupt the country’s water supply, Islamabad would consider military action.