Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif warns at UNGA that any attempt to stop or divert Pakistan’s Indus water share would be treated as an act of war, while raising Kashmir, regional security, minority rights and UN Security Council reform.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif warned India at the United Nations General Assembly that any attempt to stop, impede or divert Pakistan’s share of the Indus River waters would be treated as an “act of war”, escalating rhetoric over the already strained India-Pakistan relationship.
Addressing the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York on September 25, Sharif said the Indus River system was vital to Pakistan and the wider region. He accused India of holding the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance and argued that the decision had no legal basis.
“India must make no mistake about it,” Sharif said while warning against any move to stop or divert Pakistan’s allocated waters. His remarks came amid continued diplomatic tensions between the two neighbouring countries following the 2025 military confrontation and the deterioration of bilateral relations.
The Indus Waters Treaty, signed in 1960 with World Bank assistance, governs the use of the waters of the Indus river system by India and Pakistan. India announced that it was putting the treaty in abeyance following the April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 people. Indian authorities have linked the attack to Pakistan-based terrorist networks, while Pakistan has rejected accusations of involvement.
Sharif also used his UN address to raise the Kashmir issue. He called for what he described as a “free and impartial plebiscite” under UN auspices and accused India of human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan has repeatedly raised Kashmir at international forums, while India maintains that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of the country and has rejected Pakistan’s claims.
Sharif also described Kashmir as Pakistan’s “jugular vein”, a phrase that has been used by Pakistani political leaders in discussions about the disputed territory. The Kashmir dispute has remained one of the principal sources of tension between India and Pakistan since independence in 1947.
The Pakistani prime minister’s speech also touched on the broader issue of regional security and Pakistan’s diplomatic position. He referred to the 2025 conflict with India and praised Pakistan’s military leadership. Recent reports on his UN address said Sharif also thanked US President Donald Trump for what he described as intervention during the military confrontation between the two countries.
Sharif’s remarks on Kashmir and India came as Pakistan itself faces international scrutiny over human-rights issues involving minority communities and other groups. In April 2026, UN human-rights experts expressed concern over what they described as continued and widespread patterns of abduction, forced religious conversion and forced marriage involving women and girls from religious minority communities in Pakistan.
According to the UN experts, about 75 per cent of women and girls affected by forced conversion through marriage in 2025 were Hindu and 25 per cent were Christian. They said almost 80 per cent of reported incidents occurred in Sindh and that adolescent girls between 14 and 18 were particularly vulnerable, with some victims even younger.
The issue of religious minorities has also drawn attention from international organisations and governments monitoring human rights conditions in Pakistan. The concerns include alleged forced conversions, abductions and forced marriages involving Hindu and Christian women and girls. These allegations have been documented separately from Sharif’s claims regarding religious discrimination in India.
Sharif additionally spoke about reform of the UN Security Council. While acknowledging the need for the Council to become more representative, he opposed what he characterised as the ambitions of a limited number of countries seeking permanent seats. His comments came amid a wider international debate over expanding the Council’s permanent and non-permanent membership.
India has long advocated reform of the UN Security Council and has sought a permanent seat as part of efforts to reflect contemporary global political and economic realities. A large number of UN member states have also expressed support for reforms to improve representation within the organisation.
| Also Read: G4 Ministers Raise Strong Concern Over Stalled UNSC Reform Process |
The Pakistan prime minister’s address therefore combined warnings over the Indus waters, renewed criticism of India over Kashmir, discussion of regional security and Pakistan’s position on UN reform. His warning over the Indus River system was among the most direct statements in the speech, adding another contentious issue to the already complex diplomatic relationship between New Delhi and Islamabad.
