Pakistan’s PM threatens to give India a ‘fitting lesson’
Agency :
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday claimed that any attempt to stop the flow of water into Pakistan is a violation of the Indus Waters Treaty and will be met with a “decisive response.”
The threat directed at India came a day after Pakistan’s former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari made similar comments, describing the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty as an attack on the Indus Valley Civilisation.
“Enemy [India] can’t snatch even a single drop of water from Pakistan,” Sharif was quoted as saying at an event in Islamabad.
“You threatened to stop our water. If you attempt such a move, Pakistan will teach you a lesson you will never forget,” he said.
India put in abeyance the 1960 agreement soon after the 22 April Pahalgam terrorist attack that killed 26 people. Union Home Minister Amit Shah had earlier announced that India would never restore the historic accord.
Sharif emphasised that water was a lifeline for Pakistan, and no compromise would be made on the country’s rights under international agreements.
The Indus Waters Treaty was signed in 1960, following nine years of negotiations between India and Pakistan, with the assistance of the World Bank, which is also a signatory.
On Monday, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari equated the diversion of the Indus river’s water away from Pakistan as an attack on the history, culture and civilisation of the country, particularly Sindh.