Test of unity for Pakistan

Express Tribune

24-04-2025

In the wake of the Pahalgam attack that has ratcheted up regional tensions, Pakistan's political leadership has called for a clear and united front, urging parties across the spectrum to bury the hatchet and close ranks at a moment when the stakes could not be higher.
Following New Delhi's abrupt decision to tear up key water, trade and visa treaties, leading political voices in Pakistan dismissed the move as a knee-jerk reaction, and called on the government to rise above partisan divides and craft a robust, unified national response — a rallying cry for the country to speak with one voice.
While condemning the loss of life in the attack, senior politicians criticised India's unilateral suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, terming it a breach of international law. They urged the government to haul the matter before the International Court of Justice.
Former Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed said that India has exhausted all its available options, adding that he rules out any military option "because they have learnt a lesson from the past, from Pulwama 2019" — when their gamble backfired, Pakistan hit back hard, downed two planes, captured their pilot and Indian PM Narendra Modi was forced to blink and back off.
On India's action on the Indus Waters Treaty, the veteran politician said that it was a "grave violation of international law and is tantamount to committing water aggression against Pakistan".
Sayed noted that the other steps were meaningless, but the Indus Waters Treaty was a "core national interest of Pakistan, and the Indian action is politically-motivated, illegal and totally unacceptable".
On the internal dispute over water and PPP's threats of toppling the ruling PML-N federal government, Sayed said that the government should immediately convene a meeting of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) to forge a consensus and refrain from taking any unilateral decisions.
Meanwhile, PPP's Senator Sherry Rehman said that India's dizzying escalation of hostilities within minutes of an act we have all condemned was both unwarranted and disproportionate.
The PPP's vice president said that it also leads to further questions about the motives and narratives being created around this whole Pahalgam tragedy.
"Suspending the Indus Waters Treaty," Sherry said, "after it has survived full-blown wars is neither lawful nor smart."
She added that it signals a reinvestment in rust, in Iron Curtains and the wilful decay of diplomacy, in a conflict that no one will win.
For a unified national response, former senator and prominent political voice, Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, said one can only hope that "the government will engage with the opposition in a meaningful manner (including Imran Khan) because the nature of the crisis demands that".
Khokhar added that the opposition would be willing to play its national role, knowing that the government allegedly lacks a mandate. "It's a no-brainer that the government of time must have some sort of legitimacy to begin with," he said. "However, we are all aware of the truth behind the facade."
Convener of the Awam Pakistan Party, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, said that a collective, national and unified response should be given to the unprecedented Indian aggression.
He added that no one supports terrorism, but hurriedly blaming Pakistan was not an appropriate response from the neighbouring country.
On the water issue, Abbasi said that Pakistan should take India to the ICJ, saying Pakistan should respond to India on the same coin. To the questions about internal infighting, Abbasi said that the situation demands that "we should put the house in order", saying it also provides an opportunity to give a collective response.
He, however, said that it was up to the government how it engages the opposition and moves ahead.
Similarly, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Attaullah Tarar, said that two cabinet ministers – Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and Defence Minister Khawaja Asif – also denounced New Delhi's unilateral move.
Calling the actions "unserious" and "inappropriate", Dar asserted that a firm and coordinated response will follow.
Dar confirmed that a National Security Committee (NSC) meeting has been convened for Thursday (today) to formulate Pakistan's official response. "India's statements are inappropriate, and the NSC will issue a comprehensive response," he noted.
Asif also said that Pakistan would give its response after the NSC meeting on Thursday. Late Wednesday night, the government's spokesperson, Attaullah Tarar, texted that he would share his response on Thursday.
PTI Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram did not respond to the several calls and text messages seeking the party's response.