‘Serial borrower from the IMF': India mocks Pakistan at UN; rebuts Islamabad's Kashmir, Indus Water Treaty claims
Marking the 80th anniversary of the UN, India's ambassador Parvathaneni Harish said that states violating the principle of "good neighbourliness" by fomenting cross-border terrorism "must bear a serious cost.
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"There should also be a serious cost to states that violate the spirit of good neighbourliness and international relations by fomenting cross-border terrorism. Recently, consequent to the gruesome terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, on 22 April 2025 that led to the killing of 26 innocent tourists, and based on the Council statement of 25 April—where members of the Security Council underlined the need to hold perpetrators, organizers, financiers, and sponsors of this reprehensible act of terrorism accountable and bring them to justice," Harish said.
"India launched Operation Sindoor targeting terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, which was focused, measured, and non-escalatory in nature, aimed at achieving its primary objectives. A cessation of military activities was directly concluded at the request of Pakistan," he added.
Harish drew a stark contrast between the two countries and accused Pakistan of being plagued by terrorism and economic instability.
"I am constrained also to respond to the remarks made by the representative of Pakistan. The Indian subcontinent offers a stark contrast in terms of progress, prosperity, and development models. On the one hand, there is India—a mature democracy, a surging economy, and a pluralistic and inclusive society. At the other extreme is Pakistan—steeped in fanaticism and terrorism, and a serial borrower from the IMF," Harish said.
"As we debate promoting international peace and security, it is essential to recognize that there are some fundamental principles which need to be universally respected. One of them is zero tolerance for terrorism. It ill behoves a member of the Council to offer homilies while indulging in practices that are unacceptable to the international community," he added.
This came after Pakistan's deputy prime minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar raised the dispute between India and Pakistan over the Indus Waters Treaty, which New Delhi placed into abeyance after the Pahalgam terror attack in April.
"Jammu and Kashmir remains one of the oldest disputes on the agenda of the UN Security Council. It is an internationally recognized disputed territory, the final disposition of which is to be made in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and the wishes of the Kashmiri people. No cosmetic measures can serve as a substitute for the fundamental and inalienable right of self-determination of the Kashmiris, as guaranteed by the relevant Security Council resolutions," Ishaq Dar said.
"A 65-year-old Indus Waters Treaty between India and Pakistan is a noteworthy example of dialogue and diplomacy working to peacefully arrive at a water-sharing arrangement between two neighbours. The treaty has withstood periods of trials and tribulations in bilateral relations. It is most unfortunate and regrettable that India has chosen to illegally and unilaterally hold this treaty in abeyance on baseless grounds, with the intention of withholding the flow of water to 240 million people of Pakistan, who rely on it for their livelihood and survival," he added.
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