Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif delivered a strong warning to India during his address to the UN General Assembly on Friday, stating that any move to impede or divert Pakistan’s share of the Indus River waters would be met as an “act of war.” Sharif underscored the critical importance of these shared waters, calling them the “lifeblood” for the entire region.
The Prime Minister challenged India’s unilateral decision to hold the existing Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in abeyance, asserting that such a move has “no legal basis whatsoever.” He further noted that both UN experts and the Court of Arbitration have rejected India’s claims regarding the treaty. “Water must never be weaponized. Rivers should nourish nations, not divide them,” Sharif emphasized, sending a clear message that India “must make no mistake about it.”
Sharif Addresses Broader Regional Tensions and Global Issues
Beyond the Indus Waters dispute, Sharif's wide-ranging speech touched upon several pressing international and regional concerns. He highlighted Pakistan's diplomatic efforts in brokering talks between Washington and Tehran following tensions in the Gulf earlier in February. With renewed hostilities, he urged that “diplomacy must be heard more strongly than missiles, drones and guns,” and insisted on keeping the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Red Sea bottleneck open for international navigation. Sharif also condemned recent Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia, including an attempted drone strike on Mecca.
Kashmir, Gaza, and Islamophobia
Addressing the long-standing Kashmir dispute, the Pakistani leader linked lasting regional stability to its just resolution. He claimed Pakistan had exercised its right to self-defense against “external aggression from India” a year prior and credited former US President Donald Trump’s intervention for averting an all-out war between the two nuclear-armed neighbors. Sharif stated Kashmiris have awaited a UN plebiscite for eight decades, citing allegations of “illegal occupation, arbitrary detention, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, sexual violence and collective punishment.”
On the issue of Islamophobia, Sharif criticized what he described as “RSS [Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh] driven Hindutva ideology” for fanning religious hatred, leading to violence and restrictions on religious freedom. He also drew attention to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, recounting the tragic death of an eight-year-old child and questioning whether children born in Gaza deserve a future different from those elsewhere. He further accused Israel of a “genocidal agenda” in the West Bank due to the forcible eviction of Palestinians.
Call for Action on Militancy from Afghanistan
Sharif also raised concerns about terrorist groups operating from sanctuaries in Afghanistan that destabilize Pakistan. He called upon Afghan authorities to take “verifiable, decisive action” against these groups. Echoing the 81st Session’s theme of trust restoration, he concluded his speech by advocating for dialogue, cooperation, and peace over confrontation and coercion, aiming to replace “guns” with “handshakes, embraces and smiles.”