Shehbaz Sharif Warns Against ‘Weaponising’ Water at SCO Summit
BISHKEK, KYRGYZSTAN — WEB DESK: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif warned on Tuesday that water must never be used as a political weapon, telling leaders at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit that agreements governing shared rivers are binding international commitments that must be honoured.
Addressing the SCO Council of Heads of State meeting in Bishkek, Shehbaz described water as the “lifeblood” of the region, saying it sustains millions of people, supports agriculture and is crucial to the future of coming generations.
“It must never be weaponised,” the prime minister said, adding that water should neither be used as an instrument of coercion nor exploited for political leverage. He said treaties covering shared waters were solemn and binding commitments that must be honoured “in both letter and spirit.”
Although Shehbaz did not directly name India in this part of his speech, his remarks came against the backdrop of the continuing dispute over the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) between Pakistan and India.
Indus Waters Treaty Dispute in Focus
The timing of Shehbaz’s comments is particularly significant because an international arbitration panel ruled that India must continue to comply with the Indus Waters Treaty, which New Delhi said it was placing in abeyance following the April 2025 attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir.
India blamed Pakistan for links to the attack, an allegation Islamabad denied. Pakistan also offered to participate in an international investigation.
The Hague-based Court of Arbitration concluded that the treaty remains in force and that India could not unilaterally suspend its obligations under the agreement. The panel also imposed interim restrictions affecting work on India’s Ratle hydroelectric project pending a separate assessment by a World Bank-appointed neutral expert.
India rejects the arbitration panel’s jurisdiction and has said its decisions do not affect what New Delhi considers its sovereign rights or its ongoing projects. That position is important context: the latest ruling has been welcomed by Pakistan but remains disputed by India.
The Indus Waters Treaty, brokered with the World Bank’s involvement and signed in 1960, has survived decades of political hostility and armed conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
Shehbaz Calls for Peaceful Resolution of Disputes
Shehbaz used his broader SCO address to reiterate Pakistan’s commitment to resolving international disputes through peaceful means, international law and the principles of the United Nations and SCO charters.
He argued that the SCO could help member states navigate growing geopolitical and economic challenges while advancing peace, security and prosperity across a region containing more than three billion people.
The prime minister also referred to a major regional crisis earlier this year involving an SCO member state, saying disruptions to critical energy-supply routes had imposed economic costs on Pakistan and the wider international community.
He said Pakistan had sought to act as a mediator and facilitator, pointing to diplomatic efforts that culminated in the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding aimed at regional de-escalation. Shehbaz described that agreement as the most viable route toward lasting peace — a characterization reflecting Pakistan’s diplomatic position.
Terrorism and Afghanistan
Terrorism also featured prominently in Shehbaz’s address.
The prime minister said Pakistan had lost more than 90,000 lives and suffered economic losses exceeding $150 billion during more than two decades of fighting terrorism. These figures were presented by Shehbaz as Pakistan’s official assessment of the human and economic cost.
He said Pakistan had worked to strengthen regional counter-terrorism cooperation while chairing the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure.
On Afghanistan, Shehbaz said Pakistan wanted a peaceful, stable and prosperous neighbour but warned that lasting regional peace would remain difficult as long as militants continued to use Afghan territory to carry out attacks against Pakistan and other countries.
The assertion concerning militant use of Afghan territory represents Pakistan’s position and should not be presented without attribution.
Pakistan Pushes Regional Connectivity
Shehbaz also placed regional connectivity at the centre of Pakistan’s economic vision for the SCO.
He described connectivity as a “strategic imperative” and said diversified transport networks, secure energy corridors and resilient supply chains could improve both economic integration and regional security.
The prime minister highlighted the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as a route connecting regional economies with the Arabian Sea and reiterated Pakistan’s support for trans-regional railway, road and energy projects.
He also backed implementation of the SCO Development Strategy through 2035 and said establishing an SCO Development Bank would be an important step towards deeper economic cooperation.
Pakistan Proposes SCO AI Framework
Technology emerged as another priority as Pakistan takes over the chairmanship of the SCO Council of Heads of State for 2026-27.
Shehbaz proposed creating an SCO sovereign AI infrastructure and governance framework, which he said could encourage responsible and inclusive artificial-intelligence development while preventing member states from being left behind.
Pakistan’s proposed action plan for its chairmanship also includes energy, development and poverty reduction, disaster management, health, culture and sports.
The chairmanship will operate under the theme “Turning Vision into Action: Connectivity, Innovation and Shared Prosperity.”
It is more precise to describe Pakistan’s new role as chair of the SCO Council of Heads of State, rather than simply saying Pakistan has assumed a general “SCO presidency,” because the organisation operates through multiple councils and institutional mechanisms.
SCO Leaders Sign Joint Declaration
Shehbaz represented Pakistan at Tuesday’s Council of Heads of State meeting alongside leaders of other SCO member countries.
The participating leaders also signed a joint declaration at the Bishkek summit.
On the sidelines, Shehbaz held informal interactions with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and the leaders of Belarus, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan.
The prime minister had separately met Pezeshkian on August 31, when Pakistan and Iran reaffirmed bilateral ties and discussed regional connectivity and cooperation.
Water Diplomacy Takes Centre Stage
Shehbaz’s water remarks carry added diplomatic weight because they came immediately after the latest international legal development concerning the Indus Waters Treaty.
The arbitration panel’s position is that the treaty remains legally binding and cannot be unilaterally suspended, while India rejects the panel’s jurisdiction and maintains its own position on the agreement.
For editorial accuracy, Shehbaz’s assertion that water must not be weaponised should therefore be presented as Pakistan’s policy position, while the status of the treaty should be explained separately through the international tribunal’s ruling and India’s rejection of its jurisdiction.
The dispute is likely to remain one of the most consequential issues in Pakistan-India relations because the Indus river system is central to Pakistan’s agriculture and broader water security. Reuters reported that the treaty is crucial to roughly 80% of Pakistan’s agriculture.
At the SCO summit, Shehbaz framed that concern within a wider regional message: shared natural resources and international agreements should serve cooperation rather than political pressure.
