President, PM urge fair enforcement of Indus Waters Treaty

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif have renewed Pakistan’s resolve to safeguard and sustainably manage its wetlands.

Marking World Wetlands Day on Monday (Nibdat), the President noted that Pakistan is a signatory to the Ramsar Convention of 1971, which advocates the protection and responsible use of wetlands and their resources for current and future generations.

He observed that Sindh faces a heavier impact from wetland deterioration, long-standing water shortages and rising sea levels. He added that preserving these natural systems is both an environmental obligation and essential for public welfare and national resilience.

Asif Zardari said Pakistan remains concerned about unilateral steps taken by India that affect the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960, a binding accord that has regulated fair water distribution in the Indus Basin for decades.

He said the suspension of treaty processes, including the exchange of hydrological information, erodes confidence and predictability at a time when climate challenges demand closer cooperation.

The President stated that water must not be used as a means of coercion, and that turning water into an instrument of war against Pakistan must be rejected, as interruptions to river flows endanger millions of lives, livelihoods and food systems in a country dependent on the Indus Basin.

In his message, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan firmly rejects any effort to employ water as a weapon of war, describing it as a grave breach of international law.

He said that Pakistan, while upholding international legal commitments, supports the complete and fair implementation of the Indus Water Treaty of 1960.

The Prime Minister said Pakistan will continue to advocate internationally for the lawful, equitable and peaceful use of shared water resources among nations.

Shehbaz Sharif highlighted that the country’s water assets, including lakes and glaciers, inland water bodies and coastal and mangrove ecosystems, are vital for environmental protection, climate change mitigation and effective water management.

He said preserving water resources is not only an environmental responsibility in the fight against climate change but also a safeguard for both individual and collective social well-being.