Islamabad: Escalating tensions over the Indus Waters Treaty, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday warned India that Islamabad would not allow New Delhi to take “even one drop” of water allocated to his country, calling the river system “the lifeblood of Pakistan.”
Speaking at an International Youth Day event in Islamabad, Sharif accused India of threatening to stop water flows to Pakistan and vowed “no compromise” on rights guaranteed under international accords. “If you attempt such a move, Pakistan will teach you a lesson you will never forget,” he said, according to The Express Tribune.
His comments came a day after Pakistan’s Foreign Office urged India to “immediately resume” the normal implementation of the Indus Waters Treaty, which New Delhi put in abeyance in May following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed Indian security personnel. India has blamed Pakistan-based militants for the attack.
The 1960 treaty, brokered by the World Bank, gives India full rights over the Beas, Sutlej and Ravi rivers, while Pakistan controls the Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab. India is moving ahead with its largest hydroelectric project yet—a 1,856 MW plant on the Chenab River in Jammu and Kashmir—without seeking Pakistan’s no-objection, a requirement under the agreement.
Sharif’s remarks follow a series of provocative statements from Pakistani leaders. On Monday, Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto warned of “great damage” from India’s treaty suspension and urged unity against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Earlier, Army Chief General Asim Munir, during a US visit, threatened a nuclear response, saying Pakistan could “take down half the world” if faced with an existential threat.
India has condemned Munir’s nuclear threat, calling it “Pakistan’s stock-in-trade” and expressing regret that such comments were made on the soil of a friendly third country.
