Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has issued a fresh warning to India over the Indus waters, saying that every drop of water belonging to Pakistan represents a “red line” that must not be crossed.
Speaking at an event in Islamabad, Shehbaz said Pakistan would respond strongly to any move that affected what he described as the country’s water rights. He also rejected the suggestion that Islamabad’s preference for peace should be interpreted as weakness.
The remarks come amid continuing tensions between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack, after which India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty. New Delhi has maintained that Pakistan’s support for terrorism has undermined the trust on which the agreement was built.
Shehbaz accused India of unilaterally and illegally suspending the treaty and described New Delhi as an “enemy of peace”. However, he did not specify what action Pakistan would take if India crossed the alleged water “red line”.
Other Pakistani ministers have also issued strong statements over the issue. Climate minister Musadik Malik reportedly warned that Pakistan would not accept any attempt to interfere with its share of water, while criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Indus Waters Treaty, signed more than six decades ago, has become another major point of confrontation between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. Pakistan has repeatedly claimed that India’s position violates the agreement, while India has argued that decades of conflict and cross-border terrorism have fundamentally damaged bilateral trust.
With tensions already high, the dispute over the Indus river system has added a new and sensitive dimension to India-Pakistan relations.
