Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Wednesday that India could not set aside its international obligations when they became inconvenient, stressing that the status of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) had been reaffirmed by a court of arbitration.

India unilaterally suspended the accord in April last year — a move that was followed by a brief military conflict between the two sides in May 2025.

In August, the Permanent Court of Arb­i­­t­ration (PCA), in a setback to New Delhi, declared that the treaty between the two co­u­ntries remained fully in force, as India had no justification for end­ing or suspending the agreement.

In his address at the ministerial meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir on the sidelines of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York, Dar said: “The treaty is a binding international agreement and contains no provision permitting its unilateral suspension.

“International obligations can’t be set aside when they become inconvenient.”

Recalling the conflict between Pakistan and India in May last year following a deadly attack in occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam, Dar said it “provided a stark reminder of the consequences of leaving the Jammu and Kashmir dispute unresolved”.

The foreign minister also mentioned that following the Pahalgam incident, India levelled baseless allegations against Pakistan without credible investigations and embarked upon military aggression.

“Pakistan exercised its inherent right to self-defence under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter in a measured and proportionate manner while acting responsibly to prevent further escalation,” he stated.

DPM Dar emphasised that the “lessons from dangerous confrontation from May 2025 must not be lost”.

“Two nuclear-armed states came into a direct military conflict over a dispute that has remained unresolved for almost eight decades,” he noted.

“Whether in South Asia or the Middle East, military force can’t resolve longstanding political disputes. Dialogue, diplomacy and just resolution of the root causes in accordance with the international law remain the only sustainable way forward,” he stressed.

The foreign minister added that India’s unilateral attempt to hold the IWT in abeyance has introduced “another dangerous dimension”, explaining that the treaty was a binding international agreement and contained no provision permitting its unilateral suspension.

He also referred to the PCA’s decision on the matter, saying the court reaffirmed that “the unilateral action by one party can’t deprive the court of its competence and has underscored the continued force of the treaty’s obligations, including those governing the Western rivers”.

“International obligations can’t be set aside when they become inconvenient.”

‘Sustained effort to silence people’

At the outset of his address, Dar expressed “profound appreciation” to the OIC secretary general and members of the group for their “steadfast and principled support for Kashmiri people”.

“For almost eight decades people of Jammu and Kashmir have waited for the international community to honour a solemn promise: the right to determine their future through a free and impartial plebiscite under the UN auspices,” he said.

He mentioned a series of illegal and unilateral measures taken by India since Aug 5, 2019, saying New Delhi’s “unmistakable intention is the unlawfully changing the demographic, critical and cultural character” of India-occupied Kashmir (IoK).

The foreign minister noted that India had systematically “dismantled political and civic space” in the region.

“Kashmiri leaders, activists, journalists and youth continue facing arbitrary detentions, torture and persecution under draconian laws, including the Public Safety Act.”

He noted that political organisations had been outlawed and legitimate dissent was criminalised. “This suppression is accompanied by a deliberate effort to alter the identity of the occupied territory.”

He added: “New domicile and laws, manipulation of electoral constituencies, addition of non-Kashmiris to electoral roles, confiscation and demolition of properties and measures undermining Kashmiri Muslim’s cultural and religious heritage are used to change realities on the ground.”

Meanwhile, India has “simultaneously sought to shut the window through which the world can see these violations”, Dar highlighted.

“Media freedom has been systematically curtailed; journalists face intimidation, surveillance and detention; Kashmir Press Club was forcibly closed; social media accounts have been blocked; and international media and independent observers continue to be denied unhindered access.”

DPM Dar pointed out that the international community had independently corroborated these concerns, including in a joint communication by the UN Special Procedures issued on Oct 16, 2025.

That report mentioned the “arrest and detention of around 2,800 individuals, including journalists and human rights defenders; demolition of homes, blocking of around 8,000 social media accounts; and incidents of hate speech, intimidation and dehumanisation targeting Kashmiris and Muslims”.

Dar stressed that the incidents were not isolated violations. “Taken together, they reveal a sustained effort to silence people, transform the identity of their homeland and foreclose their right to self-determination and their own future,” he said.

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