Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has joined his country’s senior leadership in issuing threats to India, declaring that Islamabad would not allow New Delhi to take “even one drop” of water that belongs to Pakistan.
His remarks follow Pakistan’s demand that India restore the normal functioning of the Indus Waters Treaty, which New Delhi placed in abeyance in May.
“I want to tell the enemy today that if you threaten to hold our water, then keep this in mind that you cannot snatch even one drop from Pakistan,” Sharif said.
“You threaten to stop our water. If you attempt such a move, Pakistan will teach you a lesson you will never forget,” he added, speaking at a ceremony in Islamabad to mark International Youth Day.
Calling the Indus waters the “lifeblood” of Pakistan, Sharif stressed there would be “no compromise” on the country’s rights under international agreements.
His comments came after Pakistan’s Foreign Office on Monday urged India to “immediately resume the normal functioning of the Indus Waters Treaty” and fulfil its obligations “wholly and faithfully” under the accord.
The latest warning from Sharif came a day after Pakistani politician Bilawal Bhutto issued a war threat to India over the suspension of the decades-old water-sharing agreement, accusing New Delhi of causing “great damage” to Pakistan and calling on citizens to unite against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Earlier, Pakistan’s Army Chief Asim Munir, during a recent visit to the United States, warned of a nuclear conflict, threatening to take down “half the world” if Islamabad faced an existential threat in a future war with India.
India suspended certain provisions of the 1960 treaty, brokered by the World Bank, following the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, which New Delhi blamed on Pakistan-based militants.
Under the accord, India has absolute rights over the waters of the Beas, Sutlej and Ravi rivers, while Pakistan controls the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab.
India is moving ahead with the construction of its largest hydroelectric power project on the Chenab River in Jammu and Kashmir — a 1,856-megawatt facility — without seeking a no-objection certificate from Pakistan, which is otherwise required under the treaty.
New Delhi has also condemned Munir’s nuclear threat. The Ministry of External Affairs said “nuclear sabre-rattling” is Pakistan’s “stock-in-trade” and expressed regret that such remarks were made on the soil of a friendly third country.
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