Pakistan's Sharif vows direct action over India's suspension of water treaty

At a ceremony marking Pakistan's Independence Day, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif denounced India's decision to keep the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance, labeling the move illegal and a betrayal of peace. He declared that any interference with Pakistan's water resources constitutes a "red line" and warned of a direct response if New Delhi does not change course. The suspension, announced after a Cabinet Committee on Security meeting on April 23, was justified by India on the grounds that the treaty's original conditions have fundamentally changed and that Pakistan must end its alleged support for cross-border terrorism.

Sharif linked the treaty dispute to the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, which left 26 civilians dead and triggered India's Operation Sindoor and air strikes on Pakistani bases. Hostilities ceased on May 10 following a Pakistani-initiated ceasefire. The Indus Waters Treaty, signed in September 1960, governs water sharing between the two nations and its suspension raises fresh concerns over regional stability.