Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif condemned on Thursday the unilateral suspension of India of the Treaty of the Waters of the Indo (IWT), describing it as a “shameless violation” and an act of “water aggression” that will receive a resolved response.
By chairing a high level meeting on water security, Sharif warned that any threat to Pakistan’s water rights would be fulfilled under national security decisions taken on April 24.
He compared the water dispute with a battle for justice and promised unity against the growing regional tensions.
The high-level meeting was attended by the Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ishaq Dar, the Marshal of Coas Syed also Munir, federal ministers, main ministers of the four provinces, Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Cashmira, Prime Minister of Gilgit-Baltist and senior federal and provincial officials.
“This is a battle of justice, and as every battle that we have fought with unity, we will defeat the aggression of India’s water with resolution and wisdom,” said the prime minister.
He stressed that living nations face the challenges in front and make strategic and durable decisions to protect their future generations.
When heading to a high -level meeting on water safety in Prime Minister’s house, Shehbaz Sharif said that the alleged attempts of India to arm the water intensifies and emphasized that the 1960 treaty, as a binding international agreement, does not allow any signatory to leave unilaterally.
He described the position of India as “political and legally hollow.”
The meeting was marked by a unified political front, with the four main provincial ministers, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan prime minister jointly rejected what they called Indian threats.
The prime minister welcomed this collective response, describing it as “a reflection of our national collective resolution to protect Pakistan’s safety.”
In response to the situation, the prime minister directed the formation of a high -level committee under the Vice Prime Minister Ishaq Dar.
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The agency has had the task of designing financing strategies for new prey projects and includes representation of all relevant federal AJK and federal ministries. The committee has received instructions to present its findings within 72 hours.
“We will prioritize the construction of non -controversial deposits. Wherever there is unanimity, we must act without delay.
These dams are not policies: they are a national need, ”said Prime Minister. It made it clear that any project with multiprovincial consensus will accelerate and completely completed.
A technical informative session during the session detailed the current Pakistan water storage capacity and ongoing projects. The Diamer-Bhasha dam is scheduled for completion in 2032, while the Mohmand dam is expected to end 2027.
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Pakistan currently has 11 operational dams with a cumulative capacity of 15,318 million acres-pies. According to the public sector development program, 32 dams are under construction, and another 79 projects are underway through annual development schemes.
Highlighting infrastructure challenges, Shehbaz Sharif caught attention to the accumulation of sediments in existing dams such as Tarbela and Mangla, which has severely reduced its efficiency. He urged leadership to make bold decisions, warning that future generations would judge them by inaction.
“We owe our 240 million people to act decisively. It is not about politics, it is survival. Future generations must remember this leadership with the respect of the elections we take today,” he said.
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The prime minister also praised the efforts of the Ministries of Finance and Economic Affairs, as well as to key officials, to obtain loans from the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. He said that Indian lobbying efforts to derail Pakistan’s financing plans in the ADB had failed.
“India tried to sabotage our projects in the BAD for three days, but failed. Our diplomatic victory is a testimony of the position of Pakistan principles and the growing credibility,” he said.
At the end of the meeting, Shehbaz Sharif reiterated the confidence in the solidarity of Pakistan’s political and military leadership. “Just as our brave armed forces remained firm on the battlefield, now we must be united to ensure each drop of water for our people,” he said.
Among those present at the meeting were the Vice Prime Minister Ishaq Dar; Army Field Marshal General Syed also Munir; Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif; Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal; Minister of Law Nazir Tarar; Minister of Information Attaullah Tarar; Power minister Owais Leghari; Minister of Water Resources Muneeb Wattoo; and other senior federal officials.
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Main ministers Maryam Nawaz (Punjab), Murad Ali Shah (Sindh), Ali Amin Gandapur (Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa) and Sarfraz Bugti (Baluchistan) also participated, along with AJK Prime Minister, Anwarul Haq and GB Prime Minister Gulbar Khan.
