Pakistan will respond if India endangers water supply: PM Shehbaz Sharif

In yet another instance of sabre-rattling by Pakistan over India’s decision to suspend the Indus Water Treaty following the Pahalgam terror attack, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif warned that any threat to his country’s water supply would draw a response.

Sharif issues warning

Addressing the gathering at an event held on the eve of Pakistan’s Independence Day, Sharif said that Pakistan sought peace but warned against mistaking that position for weakness.

Also Read: Pakistan Army warns of ‘all measures necessary’ over India’s Indus Waters Treaty suspension

“Every drop of water is our red line,” Sharif said, as quoted by the Associated Press. He further stated that Pakistan would react if India endangered its water supplies.

Referring to the four-day India-Pakistan conflict in May 2025, he added that any threat to Pakistan’s sovereignty would receive a strong response.

'No compromise on water'

Pakistan’s Prime Minister’s Office in a statement said that there would be “no compromise” on the water issue and warned of a “direct response” if India did not “come to the right path”.

Also Read: Pakistan says India cannot misuse Indus Water Treaty allowance

India suspended the treaty after the terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir on April 22, 2025, where 26 people were killed. Following the attack, the Cabinet Committee on Security met on April 23 and announced that the treaty would be kept in abeyance. New Delhi argued that the circumstances under which the agreement had been negotiated had changed fundamentally.

India stands by suspension

India has maintained that the treaty cannot continue in its current form, adding that it will remain in abeyance until Pakistan “credibly and irrevocably” ends support for cross-border terrorism. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has defended the decision, saying that “water and blood cannot flow together”.

Also Read: Pakistan ‘expects’ India to resume Indus Water Treaty after war threats

The weeks after the Pahalgam attack saw India and Pakistan exchange missile, drone and other strikes before a ceasefire ended the four-day confrontation.

MEA reiterates position

Responding to similar Pakistani warnings last month, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal reiterated India’s position.

“India's position on the Indus Water Treaty is consistent. The IWT stands in abeyance in response to Pakistan's continued sponsorship of cross-border terrorism. Pakistan must credibly and irrevocably abjure its support for cross-border terrorism,” Jaiswal had said as quoted by the Hindustan Times.

His remarks followed a warning from a Pakistani minister who said Islamabad would “cut off those hands” that sought control of Indus waters.