Water should never be used as a weapon: PM
• Terms terrorism one of the gravest regional threats, obstacle to lasting peace
• Says Makkah pact ‘defensive in nature’; notes global landscape is marked by intensifying tensions
• Pakistan assumes SCO chair, proposes framework for sovereign AI infrastructure, governance
ISLAMABAD: Terming terrorism one of the gravest threats facing the region, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said water, which is the region’s lifeblood, must never be weaponised and should not be used as a tool of coercion or exploited for political leverage.
Addressing the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of States (CHS) meeting in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek, the premier said the region cannot “realise its full potential without lasting peace”.
Without naming India directly, he said the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) should be honoured. “Water is the lifeblood of our region. It sustains millions of lives, nourishes our land and secures the very future of our coming generations,” he said, stressing that it must never be weaponised.
“The treaties governing our shared waters are solemn, binding international commitments. They are not matters of political convenience to be cast aside at your will. They must be honoured unconditionally, in both letter and spirit.”
The premier’s speech comes a day after the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) ordered India to uphold the IWT with Pakistan and suspend work on a hydroelectric project in held Kashmir.
‘Terrorism one of the gravest threats’
Speaking on the issue of terrorism, PM Shehbaz said it remained “one of the gravest threats that has affected our entire region in its various forms and manifestations”.
As chair of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS), Pakistan has “worked actively to strengthen regional counter-terrorism cooperation”, he highlighted. “Few nations have fought against the scourge of terrorism as resolutely and valiantly as Pakistan. In the past two and a half decades, we have sacrificed more than 90,000 lives and endured economic losses of over $150 billion in combatting terrorism.”
Pakistan sought a peaceful and stable Afghanistan, “but let there be no ambiguity; so long as terrorists continue to use Afghan territory to shed the blood of innocent Pakistanis and other nations, lasting peace will remain beyond our reach,” he said.
He mentioned Pakistan’s mediation efforts in the US-Iran war and laid out the country’s plan as it assumed the SCO CHS chair. PM Shehbaz was welcomed by the Kyrgyz president upon his arrival at the summit’s venue on Tuesday and later posed with other world leaders for a group photo.
SCO chair
Pakistan has assumed the chairmanship of the SCO CHS for 2026-27,with next year’s summit to be hosted by Islamabad. “As Pakistan assumes the chairmanship of the SCO, we are proposing an excellent plan that will prioritise key sectors, including IT and AI, energy development, poverty reduction, disaster management, health, culture and sports,” PM Shehbaz said during his address.
As part of that plan, Pakistan proposed establishing an SCO framework for sovereign AI infrastructure and governance to “promote responsible and inclusive AI development and to also ensure that no member state is left behind”. The prime minister said Pakistan’s SCO chairmanship will be pursued under the theme, ‘Turning vision into action, connectivity, innovation and shared prosperity’.
He recalled that he has long advocated for regional connectivity as the “key to our prosperity”. “Today, connectivity is no longer a choice; it is a strategic imperative.
The regional crisis has also proven that diversified transport networks, secure energy corridors and resilient supply chains are indispensable to our collective security.”
PM Shehbaz said the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) continued to “serve as a gateway, linking the regional economies to the Arabian Sea”. The PM called for ensuring the implementation of the SCO Development Strategy until 2035, adding that the establishment of the SCO Development Bank would be a “critical step” in this regard.
As the permanent chair of the Special Working Group of the SCO on Poverty Reduction, Pakistan will continue to strengthen social protection and promote inclusive and sustainable development across the SCO region, he pledged.
‘Intensifying geopolitical tensions’
The premier noted that today’s global landscape “is marked by intensifying geopolitical tensions, fragmenting global economy, escalating climate crises and unprecedented technological transformation”.
“In such a complex environment, the SCO represents our collective resolve to navigate through these enormous challenges together and deliver peace, security and prosperity to our peoples,” he said.
PM Shehbaz then noted that Pakistan and the international community have “borne a heavy economic cost ” as the “closure of critical energy supply routes” disrupted the global economy, referring to the Strait of Hormuz .
“In these challenging times, Pakistan has consistently acted as an honest and sincere mediator and facilitator,” he affirmed.
Talking about the Makkah pact, the PM reiterated that the pact was “fundamentally defensive in nature and is neither directed against any state nor intended to create any confrontation or division whatsoever”.
UN reforms
PM Shehbaz also addressed the SCO Plus summit, an expanded format of the regional bloc. Stressing that Pakistan has remained fully committed to the UN Charter in the past eight decades, he said, “We see the rise of a multipolar world as an opportunity to build a more equitable, democratic and just international system. “But today, the UN is urgently in need of reform. It must become more accountable and responsive.”
On the sidelines of the summit, PM Shehbaz met Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko. In a statement posted on X, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said both leaders pledged to boost cooperation in trade, industry, agriculture, IT and vocational training as priority sectors, with PM Shehbaz extending an invitation to Lukashenko to visit Pakistan.
Published in Dawn, September 2nd, 2026
