India-Pakistan Water Dispute: Shehbaz Raises Indus Treaty at SCO Summit

SCO Summit: Shehbaz Sharif Raises Indus Waters Treaty Issue After India Rejects Hague Ruling

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif raised the Indus Waters Treaty dispute at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Bishkek, saying water is the “lifeblood” of the region and must never be used as a political weapon. 

Addressing the SCO gathering, Sharif said shared water resources sustain millions of people, support agriculture and are vital for future generations. He argued that treaties governing shared waters are binding international commitments and should be honoured in both letter and spirit. 

His remarks came a day after the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled that the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty remains in force and that India cannot unilaterally suspend it. Pakistan welcomed the ruling. 

However, India rejected the arbitration ruling, maintaining that the Court of Arbitration was “illegally constituted” and had no jurisdiction over India's sovereign decisions. New Delhi has also reiterated that the Indus Waters Treaty remains in abeyance.

The dispute has added another layer to already strained India-Pakistan relations, with water-sharing emerging as a major diplomatic flashpoint between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.