Dushanbe (TDI): Rejecting the “weaponization of water”, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday warned that Pakistan would not allow India to cross the “red line” by suspending the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), terming any such move as a reckless act that would jeopardize millions of lives for narrow political gain.
“India’s unilateral and illegal decision to hold in abeyance the IWT, which governs the sharing of the Indus Basin’s water, is deeply regrettable,” the prime minister said while addressing the High-Level International Conference on Glaciers Preservation.
“Millions of lives cannot be jeopardized for narrow political interests. Islamabad stands firm that the red line will not be crossed.”
The three-day conference, organized in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, from May 29-31, brought together more than 2,500 delegates from 80 UN member nations and 70 global organizations, including prime ministers, vice presidents, ministers, and United Nations assistant secretaries-general.
Hosted by Tajikistan in collaboration with the UN, UNESCO, World Meteorological Organization, and the Asian Development Bank, the event aimed to advance the agenda for glacier protection and global climate cooperation.
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In his address, Prime Minister Shehbaz covered key issues including glacial preservation, climate vulnerability of Pakistan, the 2022 floods, global climate responsibility, glacial melt projections and the politicization of water, calling for urgent action to protect nature and humanity’s shared destiny.
He reminded the global audience that Pakistan, with more than 13,000 glaciers, was among the nations most vulnerable to climate change. These glaciers contribute about half of the annual flows in the Indus River system, which sustains Pakistan’s civilization, culture and economy.
He noted that the five major rivers shaping Pakistan’s geography, the Indus, Chenab, Ravi, Jhelum and Sutlej, all are reliant on the stability of glacial systems. This renders Pakistan among the countries most vulnerable to climatic changes affecting glaciers.
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He said that Pakistan had faced the threat of glacial melt in the form of devastating floods in 2022, which wiped out millions of acres of standing crops and destroyed hundreds of thousands of houses and infrastructure, despite the country’s only less than half a per cent contribution to the total world emissions.
Referring to the scientific projections, the premier underlined that glacial melt in the region was expected to accelerate flooding in the coming decades, followed by a steep decline in river flows as glaciers recede further.
Farkhund Yousafzai is an Associate Editor at The Diplomatic Insight.
