PM Shehbaz declares India's water aggression a ‘red line’ for Pakistan

In a strong response to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's plan to cut Pakistan’s water supply from the Indus River, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called the suspension of the 1960 Indus Water Treaty (IWT) a 'red line' for Pakistan, stating that the country will not compromise on its water shares.

During a conference on glacier protection in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, the Prime Minister condemned the unilateral suspension of the IWT, emphasising that the lives of millions should not be put at risk for political reasons. 

"Pakistan will not allow this. We will never allow the red line to be crossed,” he said.

“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,” he said, adding that India's unilateral and illegal suspension of the treaty is "deplorable."

Read: PM Shehbaz calls for dialogue with India on Kashmir issue, IWT

Earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif highlighted that the world, including Pakistan, is facing challenges due to climate change. He noted that Pakistan is home to 13,000 glaciers, which provide half of the country's water supply. Protecting these glaciers is critically important.

The Prime Minister also pointed out that the effects of climate change are causing glaciers in Pakistan to melt rapidly. In 2022, Pakistan experienced floods and heavy rains linked to climate change, which resulted in significant damage to crops and infrastructure.

He mentioned that while Pakistan's emissions of greenhouse gases are less than half a percent of the global total, the country remains one of the ten nations most affected by climate change.