Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif warned India on the eve of Independence Day, saying Pakistan would hit back harder if its security, sovereignty or water rights were threatened. He also said Pakistan’s response would be tougher than its May 2025 action against India.
Pakistan’s Independence Day message
President Asif Ali Zardari, Chief of Defence Forces and Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmad Babar Sidhu and Naval Chief Admiral Naveed Ashraf attended the ceremony. President Zardari also used the ceremony to speak about India’s role in the war. India announced that the 1960 treaty would be held in abeyance after the Pahalgam attack.
“Yadgar-i-Fatah (victory memorial) symbolises our resolve and determination and the domination of our armed forces over the enemy,” he said. “Under his leadership, we defeated the enemy,” he said while praising Field Marshal Munir. He described the monument as a tribute to soldiers who died defending the country and said the victory was a matter of pride for Pakistan. Pakistan wants peace, he said, but wanting peace should not be taken as weakness. “With dignity and determination, we are resolute for peace,” he said, adding that Pakistan has been recognised as a “guarantor of peace” in the region. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has described the treaty as being “in abeyance” and said the decision was part of the Cabinet Committee on Security’s response to the developments following the attack. He said Pakistan’s armed forces had given India a “befitting answer”. “We are not a small country for you to play with,” he declared.
His government is treating India’s position on the treaty as a national security issue and has repeatedly warned that Pakistan would respond if it believes its water interests are being threatened. Sharif’s reference to water therefore carried a direct policy message. Earlier reporting noted: Pakistan has once again tried to provoke India over its decision to place the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) between New Delhi and Islamabad in abeyance.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, during an event in Islamabad, threatened India, warning it against taking any steps that could affect Islamabad’s water rights under the suspended treaty, saying “every single drop” of Pakistan’s water is a “red line. If India does not come to its senses, it will be responded to directly,’ the Pakistani premier said.
Earlier reporting noted: “I declare in clear terms that every single drop of Pakistan’s water is our red line.
