Days after Pakistan Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir threatened nuclear action against India, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday warned that any attempt to block water flow into Pakistan would be a violation of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) and met with a “decisive response.”
Speaking at an event in Islamabad, Sharif declared, “The enemy cannot snatch even a single drop of water from Pakistan. You threatened to stop our water—if you try, Pakistan will teach you a lesson you will never forget.” He stressed that water is Pakistan’s lifeline and vowed no compromise on the country’s rights under international agreements, Geo News reported.
Earlier this week in Tampa, Florida, Munir told members of the Pakistani diaspora that any reduction in water flow would be met with destruction of Indian infrastructure. He also issued a nuclear warning: “We are a nuclear nation. If we think we are going down, we’ll take half the world down with us.”
India, following the Pahalgam terrorist attack in April that killed 26 people, has placed the IWT in abeyance until Pakistan credibly and permanently abandons support for cross-border terrorism.
The Indus Waters Treaty, signed in 1960 after nine years of negotiations mediated by the World Bank, is regarded as one of the most durable water-sharing agreements in the world. It allocates the western rivers—Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab—to Pakistan, and the eastern rivers—Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej—to India, while granting each side limited rights over the other’s rivers. India receives 20% of the Indus system’s waters, while Pakistan gets the remaining 80%.
Despite decades of conflict, the treaty has largely endured, though it has faced criticism in India for being overly generous to Pakistan, even as the latter continues to back terrorism. The IWT also drew attention after the 2019 Pulwama attack.
With Inputs from ANI
Speaking at an event in Islamabad, Sharif declared, “The enemy cannot snatch even a single drop of water from Pakistan. You threatened to stop our water—if you try, Pakistan will teach you a lesson you will never forget.” He stressed that water is Pakistan’s lifeline and vowed no compromise on the country’s rights under international agreements, Geo News reported.
Earlier this week in Tampa, Florida, Munir told members of the Pakistani diaspora that any reduction in water flow would be met with destruction of Indian infrastructure. He also issued a nuclear warning: “We are a nuclear nation. If we think we are going down, we’ll take half the world down with us.”
India, following the Pahalgam terrorist attack in April that killed 26 people, has placed the IWT in abeyance until Pakistan credibly and permanently abandons support for cross-border terrorism.
The Indus Waters Treaty, signed in 1960 after nine years of negotiations mediated by the World Bank, is regarded as one of the most durable water-sharing agreements in the world. It allocates the western rivers—Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab—to Pakistan, and the eastern rivers—Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej—to India, while granting each side limited rights over the other’s rivers. India receives 20% of the Indus system’s waters, while Pakistan gets the remaining 80%.
Despite decades of conflict, the treaty has largely endured, though it has faced criticism in India for being overly generous to Pakistan, even as the latter continues to back terrorism. The IWT also drew attention after the 2019 Pulwama attack.
With Inputs from ANI
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