Sharif calls Indus Waters Treaty suspension "act of war" at UN
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif told the 81st UN General Assembly on Friday, September 25, that any attempt by India to stop, impede or divert Pakistan's share of the Indus river waters would be treated as an "act of war," reiterating Islamabad's objection to India holding the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in abeyance.
"The shared waters of the Indus River system are the lifeblood not only for the people of Pakistan, but for the entire region. India's unilateral decision to hold the existing treaty in abeyance has no legal basis whatsoever," Sharif said, adding, "Water must never be weaponised. Rivers should nourish nations, not divide them... India must make no mistake about it."
Sharif claimed India's position on the treaty had been rejected by UN experts and, more recently, by the Court of Arbitration, and maintained that the 1960 agreement remained "valid, binding and fully operative" despite India's decision. His remarks echoed similar comments made earlier in the week by Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, who argued the treaty was a binding international agreement with no provision for unilateral suspension.
India placed the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance as part of a series of punitive diplomatic and economic measures announced after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 civilians. New Delhi has said the treaty will remain suspended until Pakistan, which it has called the global epicentre of terrorism, credibly and irreversibly ends its support for cross-border and all other forms of terrorism.
Notably, Sharif's address did not mention Pakistan's efforts to counter terrorism originating from its own territory, a key condition India has set for reinstating the treaty. In a separate statement following the address, India's delegation accused Pakistan of spreading falsehoods and glorifying terrorism, countering Sharif's claims about last year's military conflict between the two countries and his portrayal of Pakistan's role during Operation Sindoor.
Sharif also credited US President Donald Trump's "timely intervention" for helping avert further escalation between the two countries last year, and referenced Pakistan's nomination of Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize.
The Indus Waters Treaty, brokered by the World Bank and signed in September 1960, allocates control of the three eastern rivers, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej, to India, and the three western rivers, Indus, Jhelum and Chenab, to Pakistan.
