'Forum Cynically Exploited By Pak Again': India On Ishaq Dar's Remarks At ASEAN

India on Thursday termed as "baseless and unwarranted" comments made by Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Jammu and Kashmir and the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) at the 33rd Regional Forum meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Manila.

It was yet another "futile attempt" by the Pakistani establishment to deflect attention from its own internal crisis and its well-proven role as a safe haven for global terrorist networks, India said.

Pakistan is once again "cynically exploiting" a multilateral forum to amplify falsehoods and peddle state-sponsored disinformation, India said.

"India categorically rejects the baseless and unwarranted comments made by the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Pakistan. It is no surprise that a multilateral forum has once again been cynically exploited by Pakistan to amplify falsehoods, peddle state-sponsored disinformation, and divert attention from its own well-documented record of sponsoring cross-border terrorism," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in response to media queries on the comments by Dar.

India also made it clear the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh "have been, are and will always remain integral and inalienable parts of India", with Pakistan having no locus standi to comment on it.

"Similarly, India's position on the Indus Waters Treaty remains consistent. IWT stands in abeyance in response to Pakistan's continued sponsorship of cross-border terrorism, including the dastardly Pahalgam attack. IWT will continue to be held in abeyance until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism," the MEA statement said.

Instead of pointing fingers at India and misusing international platforms, Pakistan would serve itself and its people far better by dismantling the infrastructure of terrorism on its soil and putting its own house in order, India said.

"We also strongly condemn Pakistan's continued practice of propagating officially sponsored disinformation, often dressed in religious terminology such as the use of terms like 'Fitna al-Hindustan'. This is a futile attempt by the Pakistani establishment to deflect attention from its own internal crisis and its well-proven role as a safe haven for global terrorist networks," the MEA spokesperson said.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar attended the foreign minister-level meetings under the ASEAN framework, including the ASEAN-India, East Asia Summit (EAS) and ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Meetings which were held in Manila over the last two days.

Recently, India said Pakistan's aggressive posturing on the IWT had no effect on India's decision to keep the treaty in abeyance until the neighbouring country stops supporting cross-border terrorism.

Ever since India decided to keep the IWT in abeyance following the April 2025 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam that killed 26 tourists, Pakistan has been lying to the international community that India's decision sets a dangerous precedent for nations that share transboundary rivers.