New York [US], September 26 (ANI): A failing economy, an opposition on the streets and conflicts in provinces has put Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif under immense pressure at home. So, when he made his speech at the UN General assembly, the Pakistan Prime Minister indulged in old tired rhetoric on the Indus Waters Treaty and Kashmir issues, while making a lame claim on having taken the upper hand in the May 2025 conflict with India.
Sharif spoke about Pakistan’s version of the May 2025 conflict, presenting Islamabad’s response during the confrontation as a success. During his remarks, Indian diplomat R Srinivas was seen laughing while Sharif referred to Pakistan’s claimed “victory” in the conflict.
“His timely intervention came at a decisive juncture when two nuclear-armed neighbours stood at the brink of an all-out war. And, who knows, Mr President, the extent of devastation that could have taken place had President Trump not stepped in at this critical moment with clarity of thought and action,” Sharif said.
Despite the fact that it was the Pakistan Army's DGMO that made a call to his Indian counterpart seeking a cessation of Op Sindoor, Sharif credited US President Donald Trump for what he described as his “timely intervention” in preventing further escalation between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
He added, “Mr President, we must therefore ensure that South Asia never reaches that precipice ever again.”
India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, 2025, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians.
Operation Sindoor was a significant demonstration of India’s military and strategic power, executed through a combination of military and non-military means. This multi-dimensional operation effectively neutralized terrorist threats, deterred Pakistani aggression, and firmly enforced India’s zero-tolerance policy towards terrorism. The operation maintained strategic restraint while gaining international support.
Trump has repeatedly claimed, including during his address to the UN General Assembly this week, that he played a role in stopping the India-Pakistan conflict. However, New Delhi has consistently maintained that the ceasefire was achieved through direct communication between India and Pakistan and that no third-party intervention was involved.
While, India has made its stand of keeping the Indus Treaty in abyeance given Pakistan's open support to terror, a desperate Sharif claimed the decision was not legal and that the Indus River system was vital for Pakistan.
“The shared waters of the Indus River system are the lifeblood not only for the people of Pakistan, but for the entire region. India's unilateral decision to hold the existing treaty in abeyance has no legal basis whatsoever,” Sharif said.
He further said, “Water must never be weaponised. Rivers should nourish nations, not divide them. Therefore, any attempt to stop, impede or divert Pakistan's share of the waters will be treated as an act of war. India must make no mistake about it.”
The Indus Waters Treaty, signed between India and Pakistan in 1960, governs the sharing of waters of the Indus River system between the two countries. India placed the treaty in abeyance following the Pahalgam terror attack, stating that the decision would remain in effect until Pakistan takes credible and irreversible action against cross-border terrorism.
Faced by imminent protests over the continued detention of former Pak PM Imran Khan and an econmony in doldrums, Sharif once again sought to internationalise the Kashmir issue.
“But this requires a just and fair solution to the Kashmir dispute. For eight decades, the Kashmiri people have waited for the United Nations to fulfill its solemn commitment to a free and impartial plebiscite under its auspices. Generations have endured illegal occupation, arbitrary detention, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearance, sexual violence, and collective punishment,” he claimed.
India has repeatedly rejected Pakistan’s references to Jammu and Kashmir at the UN General Assembly and other United Nations platforms, maintaining that the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir has been, is, and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of the country. (ANI)
Badgered at home; Sharif indulges in tired rhetoric on Indus, Kashmir; makes lame claim on India-Pak conflict
