• Says India cannot unilaterally suspend IWT, announces fast-tracking of projects under provincial accords
• Visits Iranian embassy to offer condolences for casualties in Israeli attacks
• Assures Siddiqui scientific & cultural bodies won’t be merged or closed

ISLAMABAD: Asserting that India could not back out of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said that in light of nefarious designs of the neighbouring country to weaponise water, the government had decided to enhance the country’s water storage capacity.

“The enemy has certain evil designs against Pakistan and wanted to take steps against the waters treaty. Therefore, the government has decided to fast-track the non-controversial water storage projects under the water accord with the provinces,” the prime minister said while visiting the National Emergencies Operations Center (NEOC).

According to the PM Office, the prime minister said an international court (Permanent Court of Arbitration) announced a supplemental order, emphasising that India had no authority to suspend the IWT unilaterally.

He stressed that the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has a critical role in this regard also.

The PM directed that weather warnings and calamity threats should be regularly issued through SMS and phone messages in collaboration with Pak­istan Telec­omm­unication Auth­ority (PTA).

In his remarks telecast on the national TV channels, the prime minister recalled the disastrous impacts of the catastrophic floods during 2022, causing the entire country to suffer from the trails of natural calamity.

“Pakistan, unfortunately, is among the countries on the world map which can be hit by natural disasters like cloudbursts despite contributing minimally to global greenhouse gas emissions,” he added.

During the year 2022, Pakistan had suffered more than any country in the world, he observed.

The prime minister warned that glacial melting due to heatwaves demanded the highest level of preparedness.

Swat tragedy

“What happened in Swat in which precious lives were lost, engulfed the entire nation in pall of gloom,” he said and stressed that they should take an honest review of the incident, directing for a formulation of a comprehensive mechanism in collaboration with the provinces to prevent such occurrences in the future. The prime minister also directed for compilation of report in this regard.

He opined that in the aftermath of floods of 2022, the relevant ministers negotiated the grants and public-private partnership for building resilient infrastructure in the country.

He appreciated the facility of NEOC and expressed the hope that the relevant authorities would fully utilise this resilient platform for the progress of the country’s economy and social sectors.

He also assured complete support of the government in strengthening the institute and its capacity building.

The prime minster, further appreciating the NDMA, said that he was glad it had organised relief operations seamlessly in Turkiye and Myanmar.

Irfan Siddiqui meets PM

Earlier, during a meeting with party Senator Irfan Siddiqui, Prime Minister Shehbaz reiterated his government’s strong commitment to preserving and enhancing the role of national institutions dedicated to science, literature, history, and culture, dispelling any speculation about their closure or merger under ongoing rightsising efforts.

He emphasised the crucial role such institutions play in shaping the intellectual and cultural fabric of society.

“The sources of knowledge and literature are the soul of society. We have a great capital of civilisation and culture, of which the entire nation is rightly proud. The government is not considering implementing any proposal to close or merge national institutions of scientific, literary, historical and cultural importance.

“On the contrary, we will try to make these institutions stronger, effective and efficient,” he added.

Senator Siddiqui, who has long been associated with the country’s literary and academic community, conveyed the deep concerns of scholars, writers, poets, and artists regarding proposals of the government’s rightsising committee.

He reminded the prime minister that special attention was devoted to these institutions during the previous tenure of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, and their contributions were widely appreciated.

In response, the PM acknowledged the importance of safeguarding intellectual and artistic spaces, stating: Societies that neglect science, literature, and arts fall prey to mechanical thinking and lose subtle human emotions.

He announced that the government will soon form a dedicated committee to improve the management and performance of such institutions, with a renewed mandate aligned with the needs of the modern era.

Later, Prime Minister Shehbaz expressed his deepest condolences to people and government of Iran for the losses the neighbouring country suffered during war with Israel and reaffirmed Pakistan’s sympathy and solidarity during this difficult time.

The prime minister visited the embassy of Iran to sign the condolence book, opened by the Iranian mission to honour martyrs and injured Iranians during recent Israeli aggression against Iran.

The prime minister was received by Ambassador of Iran to Pakistan Reza Amiri Moghaddam and his senior colleagues.

He paid rich tributes to the resilience and courage of the Iranian nation while offering his prayers for those who had embraced martyrdom, as well as for the swift recovery of the injured.

Assuring the Iranian side of Pakistan’s consistent and continued support, the prime minister also conveyed his good wishes and respects for Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatullah Ali Khamenei, as well as for President Dr Massoud Pezeshkian.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz also met MNA Ijazul Haq, who congratulated him on the successful passage of the federal budget for the fiscal year 202526.

The two leaders discussed matters concerning Mr Haq’s constituency and agreed to work together for the betterment of local communities.

Published in Dawn, July 2nd, 2025