What happened
India used two regional forums to make a security and diplomacy point. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said attacks on seafarers, civilian shipping, or infrastructure cannot be countenanced. Separately, the Ministry of External Affairs rejected Pakistan Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar’s remarks at the ASEAN Regional Forum on Jammu and Kashmir and the Indus Waters Treaty.
Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said Pakistan was using a multilateral forum to spread falsehoods, promote state-sponsored misinformation, and divert attention from Pakistan’s record of sponsoring cross-border terrorism.
Background and earlier position
India has long argued that Pakistan raises Jammu and Kashmir and the Indus Waters Treaty in multilateral settings while refusing to address terrorism from its territory. India also treats maritime security, especially the safety of civilian shipping and seafarers, as part of a rules-based regional order in the Indo-Pacific.
What changed now
Related current affairs
- ‘No revival of Indus treaty if Pak. does not end terror’
- Cosmetic electoral exercise by Pak-occupied Kashmir occupation: India
- Pak Gen Z should focus on India’s demand to end state-sponsored cross-border terror: MEA
- Global waterways should be safe, unimpeded: Jaishankar
- The case for updating the Indus Waters Treaty
- It is not all bad between India and Pakistan