PM Shehbaz Raises Indus Waters Treaty at SCO Summit, Calls for Structural Dialogue

TIANJIN, CHINA; Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday placed the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) at the forefront of his address to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, urging a “structural and comprehensive dialogue” to resolve all outstanding disputes among member states.

The prime minister, who arrived in China on Saturday to attend the two-day SCO Council of Heads of State Summit (August 31–September 1), stressed that Pakistan respected all international and bilateral treaties and expected the same commitment from fellow SCO members. His remarks were seen as a reference to India, which in May unilaterally moved to hold the IWT in abeyance following an attack in occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam that killed 26 people — an incident New Delhi blamed on Islamabad without evidence.

“Uninterrupted access to water under existing treaties is essential for SCO members,” PM Shehbaz said, adding that such cooperation would strengthen the organisation’s ability to achieve its founding goals.

Earlier this month, the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague issued a ruling declaring that India could not unilaterally suspend the treaty, a move Pakistan had previously termed an “act of war.”

At the summit, PM Shehbaz requested member states to support a “structured dialogue under sagacious leadership” to ensure the region reaps timely dividends of cooperation. He reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to peaceful and stable relations with its neighbours, underlining dialogue and diplomacy as the only viable path forward.

The premier also drew attention to Pakistan’s devastating floods caused by torrential rains and cloudbursts across three major rivers, resulting in heavy loss of life, livestock, crops, and infrastructure. He expressed gratitude for international support, particularly from China, and praised the resilience of the Pakistani people in the face of recurring climate disasters.

Touching on other regional concerns, PM Shehbaz condemned terrorism in all forms, pointing to “irrefutable evidence of foreign involvement” in the March hijacking of the Jaffar Express in Balochistan that left 26 dead. He said Pakistan’s sacrifices in combating terrorism — over 90,000 lives lost and $152 billion in economic losses — had no parallel in history.

The prime minister also reaffirmed Pakistan’s vision for regional connectivity through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), highlighting its potential as a practical demonstration of SCO’s goals for integration. He urged support for a peaceful and stable Afghanistan and condemned Israel’s “unjustified aggression” against Iran and the “bloodshed in Gaza,” reiterating Pakistan’s backing for a two-state solution with pre-1967 borders.

PM Shehbaz praised China’s leadership of the SCO, thanked President Xi Jinping for hosting the summit in Tianjin, and reaffirmed Pakistan’s enduring commitment to multilateralism, diplomacy, and collective peace in South Asia and beyond.