Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday told the United Nations General Assembly that any violation of the Indus Waters Treaty by India would be tantamount to “an act of war.” He also claimed that U.S. President Donald Trump brokered a ceasefire during the May confrontation with India, a claim reiterated often by Trump but categorically dismissed by New Delhi.
Sharif described the suspension of the treaty by India as a grave provocation. “Any violation of the Indus Waters Treaty represents an act of war,” he declared, while insisting Pakistan’s foreign policy is based on “peace, mutual respect and cooperation” and disputes should be resolved through “dialogue and diplomacy.”
May conflict and Operation Sindoor
Sharif accused India of “unprovoked aggression” earlier this year in May, saying Pakistani forces responded in “self-defence.” He alleged Indian forces attacked Pakistani cities and targeted civilians.
However, New Delhi maintains that it launched Operation Sindoor a series of precise air and missile strikes in response to the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians. The operation was aimed at dismantling terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). India has stressed that the decision to suspend participation in the Indus Waters Treaty was a sovereign counter-terrorism measure and a justified response to Pakistan’s continued support for cross-border terrorism.
Trump’s role disputed
At the UN, Sharif praised Trump for helping to diffuse the May tensions, implying that the crisis had risked spiraling into nuclear conflict. “The ceasefire was facilitated by President Trump. Who would have lived to tell what happened,” he said, adding that Pakistan even nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize.
But India has consistently denied any third-party mediation, asserting that the ceasefire was negotiated directly between the two countries’ Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs). Trump’s repeated claim that he “ended a war” between India and Pakistan has also been rejected by New Delhi.
Pushback over terror charges
Earlier in New York, Sharif faced tough questions from ANI reporters outside the UN headquarters. Asked when Pakistan would stop sponsoring cross-border terrorism, he initially responded, “We are defeating cross-border terrorism. We are defeating them.” When pressed further that India was defeating Pakistan, Sharif chose not to respond and walked into the venue.
With inputs from agencies
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