Sharif at SCO says water must never be weaponised in the region

Islamabad,UPDATED: Sep 1, 2026 17:02 IST

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said water was the "lifeblood" of the region and "must never be weaponised" as he addressed the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in the Kyrgyz capital. He also said the region cannot "realise its full potential without lasting peace".

In his address, Sharif spoke about the Indus Waters Treaty, terrorism, Afghanistan, Pakistan's mediation efforts in the US-Iran war, and his country's plans as it prepares to assume the chairmanship of the SCO's Council of Heads of State for 2026–27.

Referring to the Indus Waters Treaty, Sharif said, "Water is the lifeblood of our region. It sustains millions of lives, nourishes our land and secures the very future of our coming generations." He said it "must never be weaponised; it cannot be used as an instrument of coercion, nor can it ever be exploited for political leverage". India decided to put the treaty in abeyance as part of a series of punitive diplomatic and economic measures unveiled soon after the Pahalgam terror attack in April last year that killed 26 civilians. Sharif said, "The treaties governing our shared waters are solemn, binding international commitments. They are not matters of political convenience to be cast aside at your will. They must be honoured unconditionally, in both letter and spirit."

His remarks came a day after India rejected the Permanent Court of Arbitration's order setting aside its decision to suspend the treaty, saying the "illegally-constituted" body had no jurisdiction to comment on New Delhi's sovereign decisions. Pakistan had approached the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague in March this year to determine the status of the treaty, virtually challenging India's action. India has never recognised the "existence in law of this illegally-constituted and so-called Court of Arbitration", and has said the "very establishment of this alleged arbitral body constitutes a grave violation of the Indus Waters Treaty".

On terrorism, Sharif said it remained "one of the gravest threats that has affected our entire region in its various forms and manifestations". He said Pakistan, as chair of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure, had "worked actively to strengthen regional counter-terrorism cooperation". "In the past two and a half decades, we have sacrificed more than 90,000 lives and endured economic losses of over USD 150 billion in combating terrorism," he said. On Afghanistan, he said Pakistan wanted a peaceful and stable country, but added: "But let there be no ambiguity; so long as terrorists continue to use Afghan territory to shed the blood of innocent Pakistanis and other nations, lasting peace will remain beyond our reach."

Sharif said Pakistan was set to assume the SCO chairmanship and would host next year's Council of Heads of State summit in Islamabad. He said, "As Pakistan assumes the chairmanship of the SCO, we are proposing an excellent plan that will prioritise key sectors, including IT and AI, energy development, poverty reduction, disaster management, health, culture and sports." As part of the plan, he proposed an SCO framework for sovereign AI infrastructure and governance to "promote responsible and inclusive AI development and to also ensure that no member state is left behind". He said Pakistan's chairmanship would be pursued under the theme, "Turning vision into action, connectivity, innovation and shared prosperity". He also said the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor continued to "serve as a gateway, linking the regional economies to the Arabian Sea". The SCO member states are China, Russia, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Belarus.

Sharif also said Islamabad had "staunchly advocated peace when the sovereignty and territorial integrity of an SCO member state was violated earlier this year, triggering a major regional crisis". He said Pakistan and the international community had "borne a heavy economic cost" as the "closure of critical energy supply routes" disrupted the global economy, referring to the Strait of Hormuz. "In these challenging times, Pakistan has consistently acted as an honest and sincere mediator and facilitator," he said, adding that Islamabad's "sustained diplomatic efforts culminated in the signing of the landmark Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding" in June between the US and Iran. "We firmly believe that the Islamabad MoU offers the most viable and enduring pathway to lasting peace in the region," he said.

A video clip shared by the Prime Minister's Office showed Sharif speaking to Chinese President Xi Jinping. He was also seen sitting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The premier also held informal meetings with the presidents of Iran, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Belarus. On the trilateral defence agreement between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye, named the "Makkah Defence Alliance", Sharif said the pact was "fundamentally defensive in nature and is neither directed against any state nor intended to create any confrontation or division whatsoever". He also called on the international community to honour its commitment to "help the Palestinian people, alongside all other oppressed nations, secure their fundamental right to self-determination".

Sharif's address to the SCO summit focused on water security, peace, counter-terrorism, Afghanistan, regional diplomacy and Pakistan's plans as incoming chair, while also setting out Islamabad's position on the Indus Waters Treaty, the US-Iran understanding and regional defence cooperation.

With PTI Inputs

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