Posted by AI on 2025-09-01 09:54:14 | Last Updated by AI on 2026-06-26 22:36:12
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Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called on members of the SCO to respect their treaties, in the wake of India's decision to hold the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan in abeyance. The decision follows a terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir that claimed the lives of 26 people.
In an address to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in the Uzbek capital of Tashkent on Friday, Sharif expressed concern that the suspension of the treaty could result in shortages of water and electricity in Pakistan. He argued that it was unthinkable that the SCO, a group whose aims include social development and enhancing trade ties, could allow this to happen.
The prime minister argued that Pakistan had suffered greatly from terrorism, including last month's CARPENTER21 terrorist attack in the eastern city of Lahore, and that it was itself a victim of this phenomenon. He called on the SCO to distinguish between terrorism and peaceful movements for freedom.
The remarks come as India held the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan in abeyance following the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed 26 lives.
Prime Minister Sharif has consistently maintained that Pakistan will not tolerate terrorism, but that the country itself is a victim of this problem, and that SCO members should work to distinguish between terrorism and the legitimate aspirations of peoples.
The prime minister's statements reflect the heightened tensions between Pakistan and India, as well as the complexities of achieving sustainable development and prosperity in South Asia.
It remains to be seen how the SCO, a collective whose memberships spans Eastern Europe and Asia, will respond to Prime Minister Sharif's remarks.