Water must not be weaponised: PM

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday called for stronger multilateralism, peaceful resolution of disputes, respect for international law and greater regional cooperation, warning that water must never be weaponised while terrorism from Afghan territory must end for lasting peace and connectivity to take root.

Addressing the 26th Meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of State in Bishkek, the prime minister said Pakistan would use its incoming SCO chairmanship to pursue an action-oriented agenda focused on connectivity, innovation, development and shared prosperity.

He later addressed the SCO Plus Format meeting, held under the theme "The UN as a Key Element of the Just World Order: The Contribution of the SCO Plus States to the Formation of a Multipolar World", where he called for collective efforts to build a more equitable and democratic international system.

Shehbaz said Pakistan remained committed to resolving disputes peacefully through international law and adhering strictly to the principles of the UN and SCO charters. He said Islamabad had consistently advocated peace when the sovereignty and territorial integrity of an SCO member state was violated earlier this year.

He said the resulting regional crisis had disrupted critical energy supply routes, imposing a heavy economic cost on Pakistan as well as the wider international community. In those challenging circumstances, he said, Pakistan had persistently acted as an honest and sincere mediator and facilitator.

The prime minister said Pakistan's sustained diplomatic efforts had culminated in the signing of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which he described as the most viable and enduring pathway to lasting peace in the region.

Referring to the recently signed Makkah Joint Defence Agreement between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye, Prime Minister Shehbaz said the pact represented a shared commitment to sovereignty, territorial integrity, collective security and regional peace.

He clarified that the agreement was fundamentally defensive in nature and was neither directed against any state nor intended to create confrontation or division, saying it should instead be viewed as an expression of a common commitment to peace and security.

Turning to the broader international order, the prime minister reaffirmed Pakistan's commitment to the UN Charter but said the organisation urgently needed reform to become more accountable and responsive. He said the emergence of a multipolar world offered an opportunity to build a more equitable, democratic and just international system.

Shehbaz also drew attention to the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza and the West Bank, describing the suffering of the Palestinian people as deeply troubling and unimaginable. He called upon the international community to act decisively to end the suffering of innocent Palestinians and uphold their inalienable right to self-determination, adding that the same fundamental right should be secured for all other oppressed nations.

On water resources, the prime minister issued a strong warning against their use as an instrument of political pressure, saying water was the lifeblood of the region, sustaining millions of lives, nourishing lands and securing the future of coming generations.

"Water must never be weaponised or used for political coercion," he said, stressing that treaties governing shared waters were binding international commitments and must be honoured unconditionally, both in letter and spirit.

Highlighting terrorism as a common regional threat, Shehbaz said Pakistan remained fully committed to advancing shared objectives through the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS), particularly in dealing with terrorism, separatism and religious extremism.

He said Pakistan had paid an enormous price in the fight against terrorism, sacrificing more than 90,000 lives and suffering economic losses exceeding $150 billion over the past two and a half decades. "These sacrifices were not for Pakistan alone," he said, adding that the country had continued its struggle to ensure a safer and more secure region and a safer world beyond it.

The prime minister called for terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including state terrorism, to be condemned. He said the vision of regional connectivity could only be realised when there was peace and stability in Afghanistan.

Pakistan, he said, sought a peaceful, stable and prosperous Afghanistan, but lasting peace would remain beyond reach as long as terrorist groups continued to use Afghan territory to carry out attacks against Pakistan and other neighbouring countries.

On the wider economic and development agenda, Shehbaz described regional connectivity as a key to unlocking the extraordinary potential of the SCO region. He said the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor continued to serve as a gateway linking regional economies to the Arabian Sea, while Pakistan remained committed to advancing trans-regional railway projects, road connectivity initiatives and regional energy schemes.

He called for full implementation of the SCO Development Strategy until 2035 and said establishment of the SCO Development Bank would be a critical step towards achieving the organisation's development objectives.

Accepting Pakistan's chairmanship of the SCO for 2026-27, Shehbaz said Pakistan would pursue its SCO chairmanship under the theme "Turning Vision into Action, Connectivity, Innovation and Shared Prosperity", adding that Islamabad would pursue an action plan focused on IT and artificial intelligence, energy, development and poverty reduction, disaster management, health, culture and sports.

He proposed establishing an SCO Sovereign AI Infrastructure and Governance Framework to promote responsible and inclusive development of artificial intelligence, strengthen digital sovereignty and ensure that no member state was left behind in the technological transformation.

He also announced that Pakistan would host the Global Resilience Expo 2026-27 in Islamabad to strengthen regional cooperation in disaster management, early warning systems and response coordination.

He urged SCO members to turn the organisation's development vision into practical outcomes through cooperation. "Together, let us turn the vision of the SCO into action, its promise into progress, and its progress into a better future for all," the prime minister said.

He called on the organisation to choose cooperation over confrontation, dialogue over division, bridges over barriers and hope over fear, expressing confidence that the SCO could help shape the changing international order rather than merely witness it. "Let history record that the SCO did not merely witness a changing world - we helped shape it," he said.

The prime minister also signed the joint declaration of the SCO Council of Heads of State Summit. The summit was attended by heads of state and government of SCO member countries as well as SCO Secretary General Nurlan Yermekbayev.