'Enemy can't snatch even single drop of water': After Munir, Pak PM Shehbaz Sharif threatens India on Indus treaty
Days after Pakistan Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir threatened nuclear action against India, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday warned that any attempt to block water flow into Pakistan would be a violation of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) and met with a 'decisive response.' Speaking at an event in Islamabad, Sharif declared, 'The enemy cannot snatch even a single drop of water from Pakistan. You threatened to stop our water—if you try, Pakistan will teach you a lesson you will never forget.' He stressed that water is Pakistan's lifeline and vowed no compromise on the country's rights under international agreements, Geo News reported. Earlier this week in Tampa, Florida, Munir told members of the Pakistani diaspora that any reduction in water flow would be met with destruction of Indian infrastructure. He also issued a nuclear warning: 'We are a nuclear nation. If we think we are going down, we'll take half the world down with us.'
India, following the Pahalgam terrorist attack in April that killed 26 people, has placed the IWT in abeyance until Pakistan credibly and permanently abandons support for cross-border terrorism.
The Indus Waters Treaty, signed in 1960 after nine years of negotiations mediated by the World Bank, is regarded as one of the most durable water-sharing agreements in the world. It allocates the western rivers—Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab—to Pakistan, and the eastern rivers—Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej—to India, while granting each side limited rights over the other's rivers. India receives 20% of the Indus system's waters, while Pakistan gets the remaining 80%.
Despite decades of conflict, the treaty has largely endured, though it has faced criticism in India for being overly generous to Pakistan, even as the latter continues to back terrorism. The IWT also drew attention after the 2019 Pulwama attack.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
6 minutes ago
- Time of India
Swadeshi 2.0: India is no longer just a market, it's a maker
India is in the middle of a Swadeshi 2.0 moment. Trade tensions abroad and a booming consumer market at home are pulling global manufacturers to set up shop here. Indian companies are seizing the moment with joint ventures and strategic stakes. Apple, VinFast, and Tesla are ramping up local operations, while the country pushes into high-value sectors like semiconductors. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads The geopolitical backdrop Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Indian firms in the driver's seat Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Global production, local control The Indian consumer Why India is attracting global business India as an outward investor The bottom line A century ago, the Swadeshi movement was a defiant act of resistance, urging Indians to boycott British goods. In 2025, the idea has evolved dramatically. It's no longer about shutting the world out; it's about drawing the world in, on India's shift is reshaping global commerce, verified not by rhetoric but by factory floors, joint ventures, and capital corporations aren't just selling to India anymore, they're making here. Supply chains are being reconfigured, bargaining power is shifting, and value creation is increasingly global trade tensions are amplifying this President Donald Trump doubled tariffs on Indian goods to 50%, citing India's discounted oil purchases from Russia. Washington views this as indirectly financing the war in Delhi, however, has stayed its course, signing fresh agreements to deepen economic cooperation with 2.0 isn't about exclusion; it's about control. The emphasis is on who commands capital, sets governance rules, and drives localisation. Foreign investment is welcome, but Indian hands remain firmly on the the SAIC Motor–JSW Group automotive joint the Chinese parent of MG Motor, reduced its stake in MG Motor India to 49%, while JSW acquired 35%. The remaining 16% is held by Indian investors, including financial institutions, employees, and dealers. Indian stakeholders now hold a collective majority, controlling strategy, governance, and Tata-backed IHCL acquired a 51% stake in ANK Hotels Pvt Ltd and Pride Hospitality for ₹204 crore, planning to rebrand most properties as Ginger and expand to roughly 250 Chhatwal, IHCL MD and CEO, frames it simply: to make Ginger 'India's number one mid-market brand serving 500 million potential customers in the next three to five years.'Consumer goods illustrate the same Distilleries' Indri whisky is now the world's fastest-growing single malt, capturing a 30% market share in India and selling over one lakh cases within two years. Indian single malts now account for 53% of category sales, proving that homegrown brands can dominate both locally and same playbook is playing out far beyond spirits. Whether in luxury goods, tech, or manufacturing, Indian companies and partnerships are building scale, meeting domestic demand, and earning global recognition, while keeping profits, decision-making, and influence at of the clearest examples is Apple's expanding production footprint in India, a Make in India success story in motion. Government incentives, especially the Production-Linked Incentive scheme, have transformed the country into a hub for high-value electronics Electronics plays a pivotal role: after acquiring Wistron's iPhone plant, it became Apple's first Indian contract manufacturer and later took a 60% stake in Pegatron's iPhone facility in Tamil is also building a new iPhone plant in Hosur, significantly boosting production capacity. Taiwanese manufacturers Foxconn and Pegatron have invested heavily as late 2025, most iPhones sold in the US were made in India, a clear sign the country has become a global production hub, not just a sales appeal as a manufacturing base extends beyond electronics. Vietnamese EV maker VinFast has made India a launchpad for global new Thoothukudi facility, part of a $500 million first-phase investment in a planned $2 billion expansion, went from groundbreaking to production in just 15 months. The 400-acre factory is explicitly designed for exports across South Asia, the Middle East, and is also entering the opening its first showroom in Mumbai in July and a second in Delhi in August, the company is signaling serious intent, even while selling China-made Model Ys at nearly ₹60 lakh. India's reduction of import duties on high-value EVs, from 100% to 70%, makes local production a compelling high-value manufacturing is no longer optional; it's Tata–PSMC semiconductor fab in Gujarat aims to roll out the first Made in India chip by late 2025, ahead of $2.75 billion assembly and test facility in Sanand is on track, and the Union Cabinet has approved four new semiconductor units with combined investment of ₹4,600 is building strategic, high-value industries from the ground up, creating both domestic capacity and global decades, India was primarily a sales destination. That has flipped. Exports hit $825 billion in FY 2024–25, yet domestic consumption is now driving investment and strategic RBI projects 6.5% GDP growth in FY 2025–26. An Edelweiss report estimates India's consumer market will be the world's second largest by 2030. Festive sentiment surveys show 92% of consumers plan to maintain or increase spending in 2025, with average budgets around ₹16, message is clear: produce for India first. Global firms are adjusting, and India has become a driver of strategy, investment, and production highlights three core advantages: talent, consumers, and infrastructure. Trade-flow shifts could bring $0.8–$1.2 trillion by 2030 and raise manufacturing's GDP share from 16% to 25%.About one-third of the world's STEM graduates are R&D, and sourcing could jump from $44–45 billion today to $130–170 billion by investments of $1.8 trillion by 2025 are modernising ports and logistics. Monthly household consumption has climbed from $271 in 2012 to $705 in 2023, reflecting India's massive population and rising outbound investments are surging and FY25, they jumped 75% to ₹2,51,412 crore ($29.2 billion). Outbound deals aren't capital flight, they widen market access, bring technology home, and professionalise supplier FY26 (April–May 2025), actual ODI reached ₹46,321 crore ($5.38 billion), with Singapore, Mauritius, and the US as top moves include Aditya Birla Group's $50 million R&D centre in Texas and Essar–Kowa's $8.5 billion green hydrogen joint first Swadeshi was about buying Indian. The current phase is about building with India. Partnerships, factories, and investments show that global companies no longer have to choose between selling to India and producing stay relevant in one of the world's most dynamic markets, they are making in India, and seeing the country's shift from being just a large market to becoming a significant producer.
New Indian Express
6 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
Meghalaya asks Centre to convince Bangladesh to erect fencing close to international border
SHILLONG: The Meghalaya government has asked the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to convince Bangladesh for permission to erect border fencing closer to the international boundary to secure a 40 km unfenced stretch without leaving villages outside the fenced area, Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong said. Under international norms, border fencing is built 150 yards inside a country's territory. But in Meghalaya's case, this would result in several villages falling within "no man's land" or outside the fencing, compromising their safety, he said. "We have taken up with the MHA, urging it to convince the government of Bangladesh, because of this reality, let us go close to the main pillar of the border so that we can avoid fencing outside the village," Tynsong told PTI. Tynsong, who is also Home minister, held a meeting with top Home department officials on Wednesday to review international border security after the recent infiltration attempt and the subsequent arrests of Bangladesh nationals. According to the DyCM, such an arrangement would protect villages without putting them in harm's way. He said there are several habitations within the 40-km unfenced border that will be left exposed if fencing is constructed strictly as per international norms. The push for closer fencing follows an incident in Rongdangai village where six members of an armed gang, led by a Bangladesh Police constable, allegedly crossed into Indian territory, assaulted a local shopkeeper and looted cash and valuables. Tynsong said instructions have been issued to all deputy commissioners and superintendents of police to adopt proactive measures to prevent infiltration along the entire India-Bangla border, from East Jaintia Hills to Dalu in Garo Hills.
Hindustan Times
6 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Assam launches scheme for indigenous people in ‘vulnerable areas' to get arms licence
The Bharatiya Janata Party-led government in Assam on Thursday launched a digital portal to allow indigenous people of the state, residing in 'vulnerable or remote areas', to apply for and secure arms licences easily for self-defence. Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. (ANI) 'The new move will allow indigenous and permanent residents of the state residing in vulnerable, remote and border areas, who face insecurity to their lives due to various threats, to apply and get arms licence online without visiting government offices,' chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma stated while launching the scheme in Guwahati. The state cabinet had approved the initiative on May 28. While earlier it was stated that the scheme would be applicable in Muslim majority districts and those sharing the border with Bangladesh, the CM on Thursday said it is a 'religious-neutral objective' to help indigenous residents, original inhabitants and people residing in India continuously for at least three generations. He added that the move would allow vulnerable residents to act as first responders in case of threats, within the limits of legal provisions, before police and security personnel can reach those remote and border locations. Sarma clarified that while the government will provide the licence, it would not play a role in applicants securing the arms and ammunition. 'For example, an area has a history of tension and clashes between two communities, one of which comprises around 90-95 percent of the population and another which is just 5-10 percent. If the majority community attacks the minority one, having arms will allow the smaller population to secure themselves before police teams reach from the nearby police station or district headquarters,' the CM said. Sarma said that there would be thorough scrutiny of the applicants before the police and district officials approve the licences and only those who qualify all the set parameters will get them. 'This is not a move to create sensationalism. But it is a routine exercise of government power under constitutional and legal provisions. Earlier licences were given to vulnerable persons, now we are giving them to people residing in vulnerable areas,' he said. Sarma stated that certain indigenous communities residing in some places have started feeling threatened due to the rapid rise in population of 'people from other faiths' over decades and reducing the original inhabitants to a minority. Officials informed that applicants to the scheme will have to be above 21 years of age, have proof of being an indigenous or original inhabitant of the state, permanent resident of a vulnerable location, have no criminal record, be mentally and physically sound and give an undertaking to get arms training and use their weapons responsibly. Applications can be submitted in the Sewa Setu website of the state government and once approved, the licence will be valid for a period of five years, they added.
