PM Shehbaz warns India against testing Pakistan’s water red line

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday warned India that Pakistan would give a direct response if New Delhi failed to “come to the right path”, declaring that the country’s water was a “red line”.

Addressing the inauguration ceremony of the Yadgar-e-Fatah monument in Islamabad on the eve of Independence Day, the prime minister said Pakistan desired peace and stability in the region but its restraint should not be mistaken for weakness.

“India must come to the right path, otherwise it will be given a direct response,” he said, adding that every drop of Pakistan’s water was a red line.

The prime minister paid tribute to Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir and the armed forces for what he described as Pakistan’s success in Marka-e-Haq.

He said the Yadgar-e-Fatah symbolised the superiority of the Pakistan Armed Forces and reflected the nation’s pride in their performance.

PM Shehbaz said Pakistan wanted the world to remain protected from new conflicts and highlighted Islamabad’s role in facilitating mediation between the United States and Iran.

He also expressed hope that Pakistan-US relations would further strengthen in the future.

Referring to the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, the prime minister said Turkiye had also become part of the accord, describing it as a symbol of peace and stability in the Middle East.

He reiterated Pakistan’s support for the rights of the Palestinian people and said Islamabad’s position on Kashmir remained unequivocal.

The prime minister also urged the Afghan government to ensure that its territory was not used for terrorism against Pakistan.

Earlier, President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir jointly inaugurated the Yadgar-e-Fatah monument in Islamabad.

Contingents of the armed forces, civil armed forces and police from Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa participated in the ceremony, along with police contingents from Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Senior civilian and military officials, federal ministers, service chiefs, foreign diplomats, the chairman Senate, speaker National Assembly and provincial governors also attended the ceremony.