NEW YORK(National Times)- Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday said that any attempt by India to divert Pakistan\u2019s share of water would be treated as an \u201cact of war\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAny attempt to stop, impede or divert Pakistan\u2019s share of the waters will be treated as an act of war. India must make no mistake about it,\u201d he said during a speech at the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, where he called attention to the neighbouring country\u2019s decision to hold the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in abeyance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In his address, the prime minister highlighted India\u2019s abeyance of the IWT since last year, stressing that it had no legal basis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He highlighted that the country\u2019s claims and actions regarding the treaty had been rejected by UN experts as well as by the Permanent Court of Arbitration, leaving Pakistan \u201cvindicated beyond any ray of doubt\u201d in its position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWater must never be weaponised. Rivers should nourish nations, not divide them,\u201d he stressed, calling the Indus river system the \u201clifeblood\u201d of the entire region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
PM Shehbaz also addressed last year\u2019s brief military conflict with India, which came after an attack on tourists in occupied Kashmir\u2019s Pahalgam that killed 26 tourists \u2014 an incident New Delhi blamed on Islamabad without evidence. For its part, Pakistan strongly denied the allegations and called for a neutral investigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOur brave and valiant armed forces, under the courageous leadership of Field Marshal Asim Munir, responded with precision and professionalism,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He once again praised US President Donald Trump\u2019s \u201cresolute and visionary leadership\u201d in brokering a ceasefire between the two countries in May 2025, stressing that it saved \u201chundreds of millions of lives\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWho knows the extent of devastation that could have taken place had President Trump not stepped in at this critical moment with clarity of thought and action?\u201d he questioned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe must therefore ensure that South Asia never reaches this precipice ever again,\u201d he said. This, however, the premier added, required a fair resolution of the Kashmir dispute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFor eight decades, the Kashmiri people have waited for the United Nations to fulfill its solemn commitment of a free and impartial plebiscite,\u201d he pointed out, adding that they had endured \u201cillegal occupation, arbitrary detention, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, sexual violence and collective punishment\u201d for generations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He declared that Pakistan would continue to extend its full diplomatic, political and moral support to Kashmiris until they were granted their right to self-determination, terming Kashmir \u201cPakistan\u2019s jugular vein\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pakistan\u2019s peace efforts
During his address, the prime minister also addressed the conflict in the Gulf region and the Middle East, highlighting the loss of lives, economic suffering and pressure faced by critical maritime routes, particularly the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAt this critical moment, Pakistan chose to act swiftly. Through concerted efforts, Pakistan brought Washington and Tehran under one roof in Islamabad,\u201d PM Shehbaz said, referring to the Islamabad Talks that resulted in the signing of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding by the US and Iran in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In this regard, he appreciated Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Munir, whose \u201crelentless efforts helped create space for diplomacy under exceptionally difficult and challenging circumstances\u201d. He also extended his appreciation to Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar for his role in the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAmid the roar of missiles, drones and guns, the voice for diplomacy must echo even louder and stronger,\u201d the premier stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab are arteries of the global economy. They must remain open, connecting nations, not becoming choke points of confrontation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He also condemned, \u201cin the strongest possible terms\u201d, the recent attacks by the Houthis against the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, calling them \u201cdeplorable\u201d and expressed Islamabad\u2019s complete solidarity with Riyadh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He also highlighted the tripartite defence agreement recently signed by Pakistan, Turkiye and Saudi Arabia as a reflection of Pakistan\u2019s commitment to peace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis alliance is not directed against any country; it is a collective commitment for defence, stability and peace in the region, and nothing more,\u201d he stressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Israel\u2019s \u2018genocidal agenda\u2019
PM Shehbaz also restated Pakistan\u2019s support for Palestine, expressing his concern for ongoing Israeli violence in Gaza and the West Bank as well as its continued aggression against Lebanon and Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said that last year he had mentioned the \u201cheart-wrenching story\u201d of Hind Rajab, a 5-year-old Palestinian girl who was shot dead by Israeli forces in Gaza after being trapped for hours in a car with her family members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis year, another tragedy weighs heavy on the heart. This time, it is the deafening cries of the sobbing mother of eight-year-old Wafaa Akila, who embraced martyrdom in this senseless aggression. What should have been the first day of her school became the last day of her life,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDoes not a child born in Gaza deserve the same life, and the same future as a child anywhere else in the world? The tragedies of Hind Rajab, Wafaa Akila, and countless others will echo through history as an indictment of our collective silence and inaction,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In particular, he noted that the forcible eviction of Palestinians in the West Bank \u201cclearly reflects Israel\u2019s genocidal agenda\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPakistan believes that the only just and lasting solution is the creation of an independent, sovereign, viable and contiguous state of Palestine based on pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital,\u201d he reaffirmed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Terrorism and Afghanistan
Talking about terrorism, the premier said: \u201cTerrorism remains one of the gravest threats to international peace and security.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said that as a frontline state in combating the menace of terrorism, Pakistan had \u201cfought terrorists in our own cities, in our own mountains and along our frontiers\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPakistan has sacrificed, almost 100,000 precious lives and suffered economic losses exceeding $150 billion. The world is safer today thanks to the valuable sacrifices of our valiant armed forces and brave civilians who took on these terrorists. The peace-loving world must never forget this reality,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He added that Afghan territory continued to be exploited by the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan and the Balochistan Liberation Army.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThese foreign-funded groups operated from sanctuaries in Afghanistan with the aim of destabilising Pakistan,\u201d he said. The premier said that all such attacks from the territory of Afghanistan \u201cmust come to a grinding halt\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He called on Afghan authorities to fulfill their international commitments and take \u201cverifiable, decisive action to ensure that Afghan soil is never again used against Pakistan or any other country\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe fundamental rights of the Afghan people, especially women and girls, must be respected,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On restoring trust
PM Shehbaz also called attention to the theme of this year\u2019s assembly, saying, \u201cThe theme of this session calls upon us to restore trust. But trust cannot be restored by words alone. It must be earned through action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe will restore trust when rivers become lifelines of cooperation, not faultlines of conflict. We will restore trust when those who fuelled the climate crisis protect those who suffer most from its devastating consequences. And above all, trust will be restored when the guns are silenced and replaced by handshakes, embraces and smiles,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He called for the UN to become stronger and more effective, stressing that reform must reflect \u201cthe interests and aspirations of the overwhelming majority of member states, not the ambitions of a select few\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe live at a dangerous moment. But our future is not predetermined. War is a choice. Peace is also a choice. And sometimes, courage lies not in starting a war but in preventing one,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPakistan has made its choice. We have chosen dialogue over confrontation. We have chosen cooperation over coercion. We have chosen peace over war,\u201d the premier said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLet this 81st General Assembly make it a unanimous choice \u2026 Let us restore trust. Let us preserve peace. And let us prove that even in a divided world, humanity can still choose to stand together,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
NEW YORK(National Times)- Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday said that any attempt by India to divert Pakistan\u2019s share of water would be treated as an \u201cact of war\u201d. \u201cAny attempt to stop, impede or divert Pakistan\u2019s share of the waters will be treated as an act of war. India must make no mistake about […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":133818,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-133817","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest_news","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n