New Delhi: Pakistan has issued a threat to India, declaring any attempt to alter or impede the flow of water under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) an inviolable “red line” that will not be tolerated. The threat from Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif comes amid heightened tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours, following a recent standoff sparked by the Pahalgam terror attack.
Sharif called it India’s “unilateral and illegal decision to hold in abeyance” the IWT, adding that the decision is “deeply regrettable” and a provocative act tantamount to “weaponising water.” He emphasised the grave humanitarian implications, stating, “Millions of lives must not be held hostage of narrow political gains. And Pakistan will not allow this, never, will not allow the deadline to be crossed.”
This critical water-sharing accord governs the Indus River and its five left-bank tributaries, the Ravi, Beas, Sutlej, Jhelum, and Chenab.
Also, Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir, recently promoted to field marshal following hostilities with India, echoed the Prime Minister’s stance on Thursday. Speaking to educators, Munir asserted that Pakistan would “never compromise on the water issue,” as it is inherently linked to the lives of 240 million Pakistanis. He defiantly stated, “Pakistan will never accept Indian hegemony. Water is Pakistan’s red line, and we will not allow any compromise on this basic right.”
Munir’s comments were a direct response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent assertion in Gujarat that Pakistan was “sweating” due to India’s suspension of the IWT. India, for its part, has maintained that it placed the treaty in abeyance weeks before launching military strikes on terrorist bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in retaliation for the terror attack which left 26 dead. New Delhi insisted that the treaty will remain suspended until Pakistan ceases its alleged sponsorship of terrorism
