WASHINGTON: Pakistan pledged on Monday to protect its fertile plains from desertification, denouncing India’s suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) as a violation of international law during a heated debate at the UN Security Council.

Pakistan’s UN Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad told the session that adherence to the treaty remains “a cornerstone of the international legal order” and warned against turning water and natural resources into political weapons. He said Pakistan would respond to India’s actions with the same resolve it showed during the conflict in May 2025.

Recalling India’s military aggression on May 10, Ahmad stressed that Pakistan acted in self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter and reaffirmed that respect for international law must guide relations between states.

Pakistan’s representative Zulfiqar Ali warned that India’s suspension of the treaty could devastate Pakistan’s fertile plains, describing the move as “spurious” and part of a broader effort to deflect attention from its occupation of Jammu and Kashmir. He accused India of hollow rhetoric on democracy, pointing to alleged discrimination against Muslims, Christians, and Sikhs.

India’s envoy Parvathaneni Harish countered that the treaty would remain suspended until Pakistan ended support for cross-border terrorism. Pakistan rejected the allegations, citing independent assessments that back its position and asserting its ability to resist any attempt to use water as a political weapon.

The debate highlighted deepening tensions between the two countries, with Pakistan framing the issue as a threat to its agricultural lifeline and India linking it to security concerns.