Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Tuesday warned that if the flow of water towards Pakistan was stopped, it would be considered a violation of the Indus Water Treaty and would invite strong response.
Addressing an event in Islamabad, he said: “Enemy [India] can’t snatch even a single drop of water from Pakistan.”
He said, “You threatened to stop our water. If you attempt such a move, Pakistan will teach you a lesson you will never forget.”
PM Shehbaz emphasised that water was a lifeline for Pakistan, and no compromise would be made on the country’s rights under international agreements, as per Geo News.
Following the Pahalgam terrorist attack in April, which killed 26 people, India has, in exercise of its rights as a sovereign nation under international law, placed the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in abeyance until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism.
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. Former World Bank President Eugene Black initiated the talks. Recognised as one of the most successful international treaties, it has endured frequent tensions, including conflict, and has provided a framework for irrigation and hydropower development for over half a century. Former US President Dwight Eisenhower described it as “one bright spot in a very depressing world picture that we see so often.”
The Treaty allocates the Western Rivers (Indus, Jhelum, Chenab) to Pakistan and the eastern rivers (Ravi, Beas, Sutlej) to India. At the same time, the Treaty allows each country certain uses of the rivers allocated to the other. The treaty gives India 20 per cent of the water from the Indus River System and the rest 80 per cent to Pakistan. The IWT was in the spotlight in the aftermath of the Pulwama attack in 2019. The Treaty has been criticised for being too generous to Pakistan, even when it has continued to promote terror in India.
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