Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday, 30 May rejected the “weaponisation of water” and warned that Pakistan would not allow India to cross the red line by holding the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in abeyance and endangering the lives of millions of Pakistanis for narrow political gains.
Sharif was addressing the three-day in Tajikistan’s capital Dushanbe when he raked up the issue of the India-Pakistan bilateral IWT.
“India’s unilateral and illegal decision to hold in abeyance the Indus Waters Treaty, which governs the sharing of the Indus Basin’s water, is deeply regrettable,” Pakistani daily Dawn reported, quoting Sharif.
“Millions of lives must not be held hostage to narrow political gains, and Pakistan will not allow this. We will never allow the red line to be crossed,” the prime minister told the conference attended by over 2,500 delegates from 80 UN member states and 70 international organisations.
The event is being hosted by the Tajikistan government in collaboration with the United Nations, UNESCO, World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), the Asian Development Bank, and other key partners as a historic moment for climate ambition, glacier preservation, and international cooperation.
Sharif’s remarks came after India, soon after the 22 April , announced the abeyance of the IWT among other retaliatory measures. The IWT was signed in 1960 by the two countries to address the water dispute between them and to share the waters of the six main rivers of the Indus basin.
According to Dawn, Sharif also touched upon all relevant issues, including glacial preservation, Pakistan’s climate vulnerability, the 2022 floods in Pakistan, and global climate action, among others.
“The five great rivers that shape our geographical landscape — Indus, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, and Sutlej — depend on the stability of glacial systems. This makes Pakistan one of the most vulnerable countries to any climatic changes that impact glaciers,” he said.
