• Suspension of the Indo Water Treaty A ‘Red Line’, Shehbaz tells Dushanbe Glacier Summit
• He says that millions of lives should not be rehénes for “close political profits”
• Terms 2022 flood a consequence of glacial melting
• President Tayika wants a global plan to save the melted glaciers
Dushanbe: rejecting the “Water weapon”, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif warned on Friday that Pakistan would not allow India to cross the “red line” by suspending the treaty of the Indo’s waters, describing any movement as an reckless act that would endanger millions of lives for a close political gain.
“The unilateral and illegal decision of India to keep in suspense the Indo Water Treaty, which governs the exchange of water from the Indo basin, is deeply unfortunate,” said the prime minister when heading to the high -level international conference on the preservation of glaciers. “Millions of lives should not be hostages for close political profits, and Pakistan will not allow this. We will never allow the red line to cross.”
The three -day conference, held in the capital of Tayikistan, Dushanbe, from May 29 to 31, brought together more than 2,500 delegates from 80 UN Member States and 70 international organizations, including Prime Ministers, Vice Presidents, Ministers and General Secretaries of the UN.
Organized by the Tayikistan government in collaboration with the United Nations, UNESCO, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the Asian Development Bank, the Summit was aimed at promoting the agenda of glacier protection and international climate cooperation.
In his speech, Prime Minister Shehbaz touched all relevant issues, including glacial preservation, Pakistan’s climatic vulnerability, 2022 floods in Pakistan, global climate action and responsibility, scientific projections on glacial fusion, water weapon and a call to protect the nature and shared destiny of humanity.
“Today’s world has fresh scars of the use of conventional weapons in Gaza that have left deep injuries. As if that were not enough, we are now witnessing a new alarming low: the water weapon,” he told the participants.
The 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, through a resolution, declared 2025 as the International Year of Preservation of the glaciers, designated on March 21 as the Annual World Day of the glaciers that begin in 2025, and assigned the Government of Tayikist to organize the International Conference inaugural on the subject that year.
Prime Minister Shehbaz reminded the International Hearing that Pakistan, with more than 13,000 glaciers, was among the countries most vulnerable to climate change. These glaciers provide almost half of the annual flows in the Indo River system, which supports the civilization, culture and economy of Pakistan.
“The five great rivers that shape our geographical landscape: Indus, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi and Sutlej, all depend on the stability of glacial systems. This makes Pakistan one of the countries most vulnerable to any climate change that affects glaciers,” he added.
He told the international meeting that Pakistan had faced the danger of glacial fusion in the form of devastating floods in 2022, that they destroyed millions of acres of permanent crops and hundreds of thousands of houses and infrastructure, despite the only half percent of the worldwide emissions of Pakistan.
Referring to the scientific projections “sobering”, he stressed that the glacial fusion in our region was expected to accelerate floods in the coming decades, followed by a drastic decrease in river flows as glaciers go back even more.
“These changes threaten our fragile ecosystem. As we approach these new and dark realities, we must pay attention to alarm bells, the signs of deviation of disturbing consequences: the lost livelihoods, the displaced families and the deep chaos,” he warned.
Highlighting Pakistan’s commitment to shared responsibility and collective action, he requested greater global climatic action to mitigate the negative impacts of climate change.
“Developed countries must fulfill their climate financial commitments without delay and with a balanced approach in adaptation and mitigation, as well as loss and damage,” said the prime minister.
“The appropriate financing for climate resilience, infrastructure and overcoming financing gaps remains critical for climate vulnerable countries. Investments in early warning systems and disasters preparation and management systems must be made,” he added.
Measures to protect glaciers
President Emomali Rahmon of Tayikistan, co-elanfitrion of the International Conference, asked the world to take urgent and coordinated measures to safeguard glaciers, warning that their rapid melting raises a global crisis.
“I want to clearly point out that the preservation of glaciers is not only a problem from countries with glaciers, but rather a global crisis that deserves the immediate attention of the international community,” said President Rahmon.
He urged integral monitoring and scientific research to better understand the dynamics of glacier, their role in ecosystems and their socio -economic impacts.
He suggested that countries with the ability to collect precise data on the state of glaciers, particularly through satellites, should establish a regular exchange of information with countries that lack such capacities.
The President asked to implement collective actions to address the socio -economic consequences of the merger of glaciers, including their impact on access to water, guarantee food security, electricity production and the protection of cultural and natural heritage.
“We must do our best to guarantee the implementation of the Paris Agreement on climate change and take the necessary measures to avoid an increase in global temperature,” he said.
Tayikistan, with 93 percent of its mountain -covered territory, is home to the largest glaciers in Central Asia. “Until now, 1,300 of 14,000 glaciers have completely melted. These glaciers supply 60 percent of the region’s drinking water,” he said.
President Rahmon emphasized that climate change had already caused the loss of approximately one third of mountain glaciers worldwide and this process is not only an environmental problem, but is closely related to many aspects of human life. “Tayikistan’s glaciers are vital not only for regional rivers, but for climatic stability worldwide,” he said.
Citing the Fedchenko glacier, one of the largest continental glaciers in the world, President Rahmon said he could produce thousands of years of crucial climatic data for future strategies. He asked all countries to support Tayikistan’s proposal to develop a global preservation framework under the United Nations.
Posted in Dawn, May 31, 2025
