India on Thursday asserted that the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) with Pakistan will remain in abeyance until Islamabad “credibly and irrevocably” ends its support for cross-border terrorism, as the Centre marked one year of Operation Sindoor.Addressing the weekly media briefing, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the world had witnessed the April 22, 2025, Pahalgam terror attack for what it was and reiterated that India had every right to defend itself against terrorism.“Today we are marking the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor. The entire world saw the Pahalgam terrorist attack for what it was. We gave a befitting reply to Pakistan for its sponsorship of cross-border terrorism,” Jaiswal said.On May 7, 2025 India had launched Operation Sindoor, a series of coordinated strikes on terror infrastructure across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in response to the Pahalgam massacre in which 26 civilians were killed on the basis of their religion.“The world knows that cross-border terrorism has long been used by Pakistan as an instrument of state policy. We in India have every right to defend ourselves against terrorism. We will continue to work to strengthen the global fight against terrorism,” he added.On the future of the decades-old Indus Waters Treaty, the MEA spokesperson said India’s position remained unchanged.“Our position on the Indus Waters Treaty has been consistent. It stands in abeyance in response to Pakistan’s sponsorship of cross-border terrorism. Pakistan must credibly and irrevocably abjure its support for cross-border terrorism…..Obviously, talks and terror cannot go together,” he said.In the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack, India had last year announced a series of diplomatic and strategic measures against Pakistan, including the decision to place the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance.Brokered by the World Bank, the treaty governs the sharing of waters of the Indus river system between the two countries. Under the agreement, Pakistan receives rights over the western rivers — Indus, Jhelum and Chenab — while India has control over the eastern rivers — Ravi, Beas and Sutlej.The treaty effectively gives Pakistan access to nearly 80 per cent of the waters of the Indus river system, while India retains around 20 per cent, along with limited usage rights on the western rivers for irrigation, power generation and other non-consumptive purposes.