In a provocative statement, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif drew a controversial comparison between the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the water-sharing dispute with India, accusing New Delhi of "weaponising water" against Pakistan, as per media reports.
“The world today bears fresh scars from the use of conventional weapons in Gaza that have left deep wounds. As if that were not enough, we are now witnessing an alarming new low—the weaponisation of water,” Sharif said while addressing the International Conference on Glaciers’ Preservation in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
The remarks come amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan, following India's decision to put the Indus Waters Treaty on hold after the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir, that claimed the lives of 26 civilians. India has since maintained that there can be no dialogue with Pakistan unless it takes verifiable action against terrorism.
https://twitter.com/ShehbazDigital/status/1928372545650151664?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1928372545650151664%7Ctwgr%5Ef6463381e0d2056f68efc17cb14f26bcaef96577%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.indiatvnews.com%2Fnews%2Fworld%2Fpak-pm-shehbaz-sharif-targets-india-over-indus-waters-treaty-compares-with-gaza-crisis-in-misleading-jab-2025-05-30-992594
Pakistan PM says won't let India to cross "red line"
According to Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper, Sharif claimed India is using water as a tool of coercion and warned that Islamabad would not allow New Delhi to cross the “red line” by endangering the lives of millions through unilateral action on the treaty.
The Indian government has firmly rejected the allegations. Citing decades of cross-border terrorism and repeated violations of the spirit of the 1960 treaty, Indian officials have asserted that suspending the Indus Waters Treaty is a response to Pakistan’s continued inaction against terror outfits operating from its soil.
Indus Waters Treaty will remain in "abeyance"
Earlier, India had asserted that the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan will remain in “abeyance” until Pakistan "credibly and irrevocably" abjures to support cross-border terrorism as “water and blood” cannot flow together.
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal reaffirmed India's firm stance on dialogue with Pakistan, stating that any bilateral talks can only take place on the issue of Pakistan vacating illegally occupied territories of Kashmir.
"I would like to remind you that talks and terror don't go together," he added, reiterating India's longstanding position that dialogue cannot proceed amid ongoing cross-border terrorism.
About The Author
Comment List