PM Shehbaz says water ‘lifeblood’ of region, must never be weaponised

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Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif highlighted water as a vital resource that must never be politicized during the SCO summit in Kyrgyzstan. He advocated for honoring the Indus Waters Treaty and emphasized regional peace, counterterrorism efforts, and plans for AI, energy, and health cooperation among SCO members.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said water was the “lifeblood” of South Asia and must never be weaponised, as he addressed a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Kyrgyzstan. Speaking at the SCO Council of Heads of State meeting in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek, the premier said the region cannot “realise its full potential without lasting peace”. Without naming India directly, he highlighted the issue of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) and demanded that it 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 noted. He stressed that it “must never be weaponised; it cannot be used as an instrument of coercion, nor can it ever be exploited for political leverage”. “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.” Speaking on the issue of terrorism, PM Shehbaz said terrorism 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, 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, he said, adding: “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.” 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. Other leaders from China, Iran, Turkiye, Russia, and India are also in Kyrgyzstan for the two-day summit. The regional bloc, which also includes Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Belarus, is celebrating its 25th anniversary. Taking SCO chair, Pakistan proposes ‘excellent plan’ During the visit, Pakistan is set to assume the chairmanship of the SCO’s Council of Heads of State for 2026–27, with next year’s CHS 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’. “We undertake this responsibility with humility, hope and abiding faith that connectivity will bring our peoples closer, innovation will open new doors of opportunity, and shared prosperity will reach every home,” the premier said. He called for turning the SCO vision into action and its promises into progress. The premier noted that the SCO region was inhabited by over 3bn people and blessed with abundant natural resources. “This extraordinary potential also places upon us SCO leaders an extraordinary responsibility to shape a better future for our peoples.” 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”. He affirmed that Islamabad remained committed to advancing existing trans-regional railway projects, road connectivity initiatives and regional energy projects. The prime minister 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. ‘Global landscape marked by intensifying geopolitical tensions’ At the outset of his speech, PM Shehbaz congratulated the Kyrgyz Republic on the