Sharif rakes up India's abeyance of IWT at international platform

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Friday rejected the “weaponisation of water” and warned that Pakistan would not allow India to cross the red line by holding the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance and endangering millions of lives for narrow political gains.

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Sharif was addressing a three-day International Conference on Glaciers’ Preservation in Tajikistan’s capital Dushanbe when he raked up the issue of India-Pakistan bilateral Indus Water Treaty (IWT).

“India’s unilateral and illegal decision to hold in abeyance the Indus Waters Treaty, which governs the sharing of the Indus Basin’s water, is deeply regrettable,” Dawn reported quoting Sharif.

“Millions of lives must not be held hostage to narrow political gains, and Pakistan will not allow this. We will never allow the red line to be crossed,” the prime minister told the conference attended by over 2,500 delegates from 80 UN member states and 70 international organisations.