India, on Tuesday, strongly rejected remarks made by Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, who threatened war over water security and warned that Islamabad could resort to military action if it believed India was moving to disrupt water supplies.
Responding to the comments, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal dismissed Pakistan's allegations and accused Islamabad of attempting to divert attention from its own internal issues and human rights abuses.
"Such remarks are desperate attempts by Pakistan to cover up its own failings and deflect attention away from its human rights abuses. We categorically reject these fabricated claims with the contempt that they deserve," Jaiswal said.
The MEA spokesperson said the ongoing protests in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir were a consequence of Pakistan's long-standing policies in the region.
Jaiswal pointed out that the unrest stemmed from decades of "systemic economic exploitation, denial of fundamental rights and administrative oppression" in areas under Pakistan's "illegal and forcible occupation".
He further alleged that the Pakistani state had responded to the protests with "extreme police brutality, blocking of essential supplies and medicines, internet blackouts, and use of lethal force against unarmed civilians".
The remarks came after Khawaja Asif warned that water security was a matter of national security for Pakistan and suggested that any perceived threat to water supplies could trigger conflict.
"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," Asif had reportedly said.
He also claimed that military action would be considered if Pakistan found evidence that India was acting at an "alarming speed" to disrupt water supplies.
The exchange comes against the backdrop of the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), which had governed the sharing and use of the Indus river system between the two countries since 1960.
The treaty, brokered by the World Bank, was suspended following the Pahalgam terror attack in April 2025.
Meanwhile, amid a media report that said India is in talks with the UAE to sell some of its flagship defence systems, including the supersonic cruise missile BrahMos and Akashteer air defence system, Jaiswal said the relations between India and UAE have seen a major upswing
"This is a very important relationship with the United Arab Emirates in recent years has actually seen a major upswing, and in that upswing, the defence partnership also plays an important role, and that also has strengthened and deepened, so that is where we are in our defence partnership," news agency ANI quoted him as saying.
