Pak PM Shehbaz Sharif Warns at UNGA: Any Move to Divert Indus Waters Will Be Treated as ‘Act of War’

Pak PM Shehbaz Sharif Warns at UNGA: Any Move to Divert Indus Waters Will Be Treated as ‘Act of War’

UNITED NATIONS, September 27, 2026 [VoM News]: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has warned that any attempt by India to stop, impede or divert what Pakistan considers its share of the Indus river waters would be treated as an “act of war,” as he raised the Indus Waters Treaty during his address to the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Sharif, who addressed the UN General Assembly on September 25, said water should not be used as an instrument of political or strategic pressure between countries.

“Water must never be weaponised. Rivers should nourish nations, not divide them,” Sharif said. He added that any attempt to stop, impede or divert Pakistan’s share of the waters would be regarded by Islamabad as an “act of war.”

The Pakistan prime minister also challenged India’s decision to hold the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance, arguing that the move had “no legal basis whatsoever.” Pakistan maintains that the 1960 treaty remains valid, binding and operative.

India placed the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance on April 23, 2025, following the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people. New Delhi has said the treaty will remain in abeyance until Pakistan “credibly and irrevocably” ends its support for cross-border terrorism.

The Indus Waters Treaty, brokered by the World Bank and signed by India and Pakistan in 1960, establishes arrangements governing the use of waters of the Indus river system and mechanisms for handling disputes between the two countries.

Sharif’s comments at UNGA represent Pakistan’s position on the dispute. India has rejected Islamabad’s arguments over the treaty and maintains that its actions followed the 2025 Pahalgam attack and continuing concerns over cross-border terrorism.

About the Author

VoM News Desk

News Desk VoM

VoM News Desk -is an online web portal in jammu Kashmir offers regional, National & global news.