Islamabad, promoting cross-border terror, cannot claim pluralistic cultural legacy: MEA on Pak's Indus Valley Civilization heritage claim
New Delhi, July 28
The Ministry of External Affairs on Tuesday strongly rejected Pakistan's attempts to invoke the shared legacy of the Indus Valley Civilization, saying a country that has promoted cross-border terrorism, religious fundamentalism and violence for decades, particularly against minorities, cannot lay claim to a pluralistic cultural heritage.
During the media briefing, while responding to a question on Pakistan's recent references to the Indus Valley Civilization, MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said Islamabad's record on terrorism and minority rights undermines such claims.
"Let me put this straight - a country which has been promoting cross-border terrorism, which has been promoting religious fundamentalism and violence for decades, cannot have any claim to any pluralistic cultural legacy. Their abysmal track record on the protection of minorities and their cultural rights makes such desperate attempts look even more phoney," Jaiswal said.
Jaiswal was responding in response to a query on Pakistan's recent references to the "shared legacy of the Indus Valley Civilization."
Pakistan Information and Broadcasting Minister Attaullah Tarar had recently described the Indus Valley Civilization as central to Pakistan's national identity.
"When we identify ourselves as Pakistanis, we ask a question as to who we are. And if you go back into history, the Indus Water Civilization defines us as a people. Whenever I go abroad, I often tell my counterparts that we are the people of the Indus Valley Civilization. Our identification is that we are people based on the banks and tributaries of the mighty River Indus," Tarar said duirng an event.
This was an attempt made by the Pakistan Minister to bolster Islamabad's claim over the waters of the Indus river system under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), signed in 1960, under which India and Pakistan share the waters of the river system.
Following the April 22, 2025, terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, in which 26 people were killed, India placed the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance after a Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting on April 23, 2025, asserting that the conditions under which the treaty was negotiated had fundamentally changed.
India has repeatedly stated that Pakistan's state-sponsored cross-border terrorism has eroded the basis for bilateral cooperation under the IWT, reiterating that the treaty cannot be viewed in isolation from Islamabad's continued support for terrorism.
During the briefing, Jaiswal was also asked about social media videos showing Pakistani Gen Z praising their Indian counterparts during the recent Gen Z-led student protests in New Delhi's Jantar Mantar.
In response, the MEA spokesperson reiterated India's position on cross-border terrorism.
"Pakistan has been sponsoring cross-border terrorism against India for several decades now. The people of India, including Gen Z, have been demanding that Pakistani state-sponsored cross-border terrorism must come to an end. We hope their counterparts are taking due note," he said.
— ANI
Reader Comments
The irony is just too much. They want to claim the Indus Valley Civilization but can't even protect the archaeological sites within their own borders. Mohenjo-daro is falling apart while they're busy making this political noise. Focus on preservation, not propaganda!
As an Indian, I appreciate the MEA's strong stance. But let's be honest - the Indus Valley is a shared heritage that belongs to both India and Pakistan, and even beyond. The issue isn't who claims it, but how Pakistan uses this to divert attention from their real problems - terrorism, economic crisis, and minority oppression. Focus on solving those first.
Interesting perspective from the Indian side. I'm from the US and following this dispute. The Indus Waters Treaty suspension seems like a major escalation after the Pahalgam attack. But using cultural heritage as a political tool feels disingenuous on both sides sometimes. Can't civilizations just be left out of geopolitical games?
Yeh sab drama hai yaar. Pakistan knows they can't win on water or terrorism, so they try this cultural card. But the Indus Valley is ours too - we have Dholavira and Rakhigarhi in India. Let them claim whatever, but their history of violence speaks louder than any speech by their ministers. 🤷♂️
I think we need to be careful here - the Indus Valley spanned across what is now India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. It's a shared legacy. But the MEA is right that Pakistan's track record makes their claim hollow. How can a country that persecutes Hindus
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