Army chief calls water Pakistan's ‘red line,' rejects any deal on Kashmir
KARACHI: Pakistan's army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, on Thursday called water his country's 'red line' and ruled out any deal on Kashmir during an address to university academics at the military's inaugural Hilal Talks forum.
The forum is designed to engage Pakistan's academic community on national and regional issues, where the army chief spoke just days after a military standoff with nuclear-armed India in which both sides resorted to missile, drone and artillery strikes.
Munir's statement followed India's unilateral suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, a World Bank-brokered agreement that has governed water-sharing between the two countries since 1960. Kashmir, a Himalayan region claimed by both India and Pakistan but ruled in parts, also remains a major flashpoint between both states.
'No deal on Kashmir is possible,' the army chief was quoted as saying by the military's media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), while addressing the forum. 'We can never forget Kashmir.'
'Water is Pakistan's red line,' he continued, 'and we will never compromise on the basic right of 240 million Pakistanis.'
Munir said Pakistan would never accept India's dominance, adding New Delhi had tried to suppress the Kashmir issue for decades but that was no longer possible.
The army chief spoke at the Army Auditorium in Rawalpindi where he was joined virtually by over 1,800 participants, including vice chancellors, senior faculty and students from across Pakistan.
Hilal Talks is a newly launched initiative aimed at fostering sustained dialogue between Pakistan's military and its academic institutions, with a focus on national harmony.
Munir urged educators to serve as custodians of Pakistan's story and builders of future generations.
'Teachers are Pakistan's greatest asset,' he said. 'Whatever I am today, it is because of my parents and my teachers.'
'You are the ones who must pass on Pakistan's story to the next generation,' he added. 'It is your responsibility to shape [students'] character.'
The army chief reiterated India was stoking unrest in Pakistan's southwestern province of Balochistan, saying, 'The terrorist insurgents in Balochistan are a foreign-backed menace and have nothing to do with the local population.'
He said it was important for Pakistan to become a strong state where all institutions operate within their constitutional limits and without political, financial or personal interference.
'We must reject any narrative that seeks to weaken the state,' he added.
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