Pak PM Shehbaz Sharif warns India against weaponising water, condemns suspension of Indus Waters Treaty

Pak PM Shehbaz Sharif condemned India’s suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, calling it “weaponisation of water”. Speaking at a conference in Dushanbe, he warned Pak won’t allow India to endanger millions for political gains or cross the red line.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has strongly condemned India's decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), calling it an act of "weaponising water". 

Speaking at an international conference on glacier preservation in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, Sharif warned that Pakistan will not allow India to jeopardise millions of lives for narrow political gains by violating the treaty.

Sharif described India’s unilateral move to hold the IWT in abeyance as "deeply regrettable". He emphasised that the treaty, signed in 1960, governs the sharing of water from the six main rivers of the Indus Basin and is crucial for both countries.

Addressing the conference, which was attended by over 2,500 delegates from 80 UN member states and 70 international organisations, Sharif said, “Millions of lives must not be held hostage to narrow political gains. Pakistan will not allow this and will never permit the red line to be crossed.”

The three-day International Conference on Glaciers' Preservation is hosted by the Tajikistan government in collaboration with the UN, UNESCO, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), the Asian Development Bank, and other key partners.

Sharif's comments came in response to India’s announcement, following the terrorist attack in Pahalgam on April 22, to suspend the treaty and take other punitive measures against Pakistan. The Indus Waters Treaty, a long-standing agreement, is designed to manage and share water resources between the two countries, aiming to prevent disputes over the vital river system.