Pakistan’s Sharif warns any diversion of Indus waters will be ‘treated as an act of war’

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan addresses the General Debate of the UN General Assembly’s 81st session.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif told the UN General Assembly on Friday that any attempt by India to stop, impede or divert Pakistan’s share of the Indus River waters “will be treated as an act of war”.

Addressing the General Debate, Mr. Sharif said the shared waters of the Indus River system were the “lifeblood not only for the people of Pakistan, but for the entire region”, and that India’s unilateral decision to hold the existing treaty in abeyance had “no legal basis whatsoever”.

He said India’s claims had been rejected by UN experts and the Court of Arbitration.

“Water must never be weaponized. Rivers should nourish nations, not divide them,” he stated.

On the conflict that has roiled the Gulf in February, Mr. Sharif said Pakistan had brought Washington and Tehran together in Islamabad.

With hostilities recently surging again, he said, “amid the roar of missiles, drones and guns, the voice for diplomacy must echo even louder and stronger.” The Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb Red Sea bottleneck “must remain open”, he added.

He condemned the recent Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia, including the attempted drone attack on Mecca.

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