"Water is our red line": Pakistani PM warns India over Indus Treaty suspension

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has warned India, which has suspended the Indus Waters Treaty, against attempting to block rivers carrying water into Pakistani territory.

He warned Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi against future aggression, Caliber.Az reports, citing Pakistani media.

Reacting to Modi’s recent address to the nation, Shehbaz said: “Do not dictate us. Water is our red line; don’t even think about diverting our water. Yes, water and blood do not flow together. You have also hit our Neelum-Jhelum water project. If the damage was severe, we could have destroyed your major dams, including Baglihar Dam.”

Sharif invited India to a comprehensive dialogue to address all contentious issues, including the Kashmir dispute and the water distribution, between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. “Let us extinguish this fire. Let us sit together to talk about Kashmir and water,” he added.

Following the April 22 deadly attack in Pahalgam, Indian-administered Kashmir, that killed 26 civilians, India suspended its water treaty with Pakistan, accusing Islamabad of the assault. Islamabad strongly denied the allegation, prompting a sharp response. On May 6 and 7, 2025, India launched a series of coordinated missile and air strikes, codenamed Operation Sindoor, targeting alleged "terrorist" infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

He emphasised that the just resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions, was imperative to ensuring durable peace in South Asia.

The Prime Minister noted that the Kashmir issue should be resolved within the framework of UN resolutions, and then trade talks should be held. He recalled that Islamabad had previously called for a full investigation into the terrorist attack in the city of Pahalgam in Kashmir, agreed to cooperate to clarify the circumstances of the incident, but India chose to strike. India's Operation Sindoor involved precision strikes on nine locations, including Bahawalpur and Muridke in Punjab province, and areas in Pakistan-administered Kashmir such as Muzaffarabad and Kotli. 

Pakistan condemned the Indian strikes as unprovoked aggression, reporting at least 40 civilian deaths and 121 injuries, including women and children. In response, Pakistan initiated Operation Banyan-um-Marsoos, conducting retaliatory strikes. 

The Pakistani military claimed to have shot down several Indian aircraft during the hostilities, including Rafale jets.

“We are ready for war and dialogue. Now the choice is yours,” he said.

Earlier, it was reported that the Indian side, despite a truce with Islamabad after an exchange of blows in May, has not yet returned to the implementation of the Indus Waters Treaty, which regulates the use of water from several rivers by the parties.

The treaty, concluded in 1960, regulates the use of water from the Indus and several other rivers by both countries, the sources of which are in India. During a new round of tensions between the countries that began in April 2025, India suspended the implementation of the treaty and closed the sluices on some river dams. Islamabad fears that such actions could cause a drought in Pakistani territory.

By Khagan Isayev