Tianjin/Islamabad, September 1, 2025: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday urged Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) leaders to initiate a “structural dialogue” on all outstanding disputes, highlighting the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) issue during his address at the SCO Council of Heads of State summit in China.
“We respect all international and bilateral treaties and expect similar principles to be followed by all SCO members,” PM Shehbaz said, in a veiled reference to India’s unilateral suspension of the IWT in April. He stressed that uninterrupted access to water under existing treaties was essential for regional stability and for the SCO’s broader goals.
The prime minister’s remarks followed a ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague earlier this month, which held that India could not unilaterally suspend the IWT. Islamabad has termed any such attempt an “act of war.”
Shehbaz reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to “dialogue and diplomacy over conflict and confrontation,” while underscoring the country’s belief in multilateralism and regional cooperation. “Pakistan supports and respects the sovereignty and integrity of all SCO members and its neighbours,” he said.
The premier also raised multiple issues in his wide-ranging address, including:
Flood devastation
Pakistan is once again battling “unprecedented torrential rains and massive flooding” in three major rivers, he said, adding that lives, infrastructure, crops, and livestock had been badly hit. He thanked the international community, particularly China, for its solidarity and support.
Terrorism:
Shehbaz said Pakistan had “irrefutable evidence of foreign involvement” in the Jaffar Express hijacking in March, as well as other attacks in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He condemned terrorism “in all its forms and manifestations, including state terrorism,” and recalled Pakistan’s sacrifices of 90,000 lives and over $152 billion in economic losses in the fight against militancy.
Terrorism
Stressing the importance of a “peaceful and stable Afghanistan,” he said trilateral cooperation between China, Pakistan and Afghanistan could yield positive results. Expansion of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), he added, would serve as a practical example of SCO’s vision for connectivity.
Middle East conflicts
Shehbaz condemned Israel’s “unjustified aggression” against Iran and the “heart-wrenching bloodshed” in Gaza, reiterating Pakistan’s call for an immediate ceasefire and its support for a two-state solution with pre-1967 borders and Al-Quds Al-Sharif as the Palestinian capital.
At the summit’s sidelines, PM Shehbaz also met with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who expressed solidarity with Pakistan over the ongoing floods and reviewed avenues for strengthening bilateral ties.
The SCO comprises China, India, Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Belarus, with 16 more countries as observers or dialogue partners.
