Latest news with #SyedAliZafar
Hans India
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Must defuse the water bomb hanging over us: Pak Senator
Islamabad: Asserting that the country is staring down the barrel of a major water crisis, yet another Pakistani politician on Friday made a desperate appeal to the Shehbaz Sharif government to 'defuse' the 'water bomb' that is hanging over the country after India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) following the heinous April 22 Pahalgam terror attack which resulted in the death of 26 innocent civilians. 'We would die of hunger if we don't resolve the water crisis now. The Indus Basin is our lifeline as three-fourths of our water comes from outside the country, nine out of 10 people depend on the Indus water basin for their living, as much as 90 per cent of our crops rely on this water and all our power projects and dams are built on it. This is like a water bomb hanging over us and we must defuse it,' Pakistan Senator Syed Ali Zafar said in his speech during a Senate Session on Friday. The Indus Water Treaty, which was signed in 1960, governs the sharing of the waters of six rivers — Indus, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej — between India and Pakistan. A rattled Islamabad has been urging New Delhi to reconsider its decision of putting IWT into abeyance with the National Security Committee (NSC) of Pakistan and country's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar making threatening and baseless statements over the past few weeks. However, invoking its national security prerogative, India has made it clear that the treaty will remain in abeyance until Islamabad 'credibly and irrevocably' ends its support for cross-border terrorism. The move was endorsed by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), the apex decision-making body on strategic affairs, immediately after the Pahalgam terror attack, marking the first time New Delhi has hit pause on the World Bank-brokered agreement. As India launched Operation Sindoor, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has repeatedly underlined the government's uncompromising position that 'water and blood cannot flow together' and 'terror and talks cannot happen at the same time'. 'I would also like to underline that any bilateral discussion on Jammu and Kashmir will only be on the vacation of illegally-occupied Indian territory by Pakistan. On the question of the Indus Waters Treaty, I am again repeating myself, it will remain in abeyance until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism. As our Prime Minister has said, water and blood cannot flow together, trade and terror also cannot go together,' Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated during a weekly media briefing in New Delhi on Thursday. On the same day, Prime Minister Modi reiterated India's firm stance against terrorism, saying there would be no talks or trade with Islamabad unless it relinquishes its illegal occupation of Kashmir. 'If there is to be any talk, it will be on Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). If Pakistan continues to export terrorists, it will be left begging for every penny. It will not get a single drop of Indian water,' he said while addressing a massive public rally in Rajasthan's Bikaner on Thursday.
India Today
23-05-2025
- Politics
- India Today
It's water bomb, says Pakistan senator rattled by Indus treaty suspension
That India's suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) after the Pahalgam terror attack has rattled Pakistani leaders was evident as Pakistani Senator Syed Ali Zafar referred to it as a "water bomb". The lawmaker from former PM Imran Khan's party claimed that India's IWT move would hit one in 10 a Senate session on Friday, Zafar, a senior leader from the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), cautioned that it could lead to widespread hunger and result in mass fatalities if the crisis remained would die of hunger if we don't resolve the water crisis now. The Indus Basin is our lifeline as three-fourths of our water comes from outside the country, nine out of 10 people depend on the Indus water basin for their living, as much as 90 per cent of our crops rely on this water and all our power projects and dams are built on it," Zafar said. "This is like a water bomb hanging over us, and we must defuse it," he 93% of the water from the Indus River System is used for irrigation and power generation by Pakistan. Nearly 80% of its irrigated land depends on its waters. Its economy is largely suspension of the IWT was among the diplomatic measures taken by India after the terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22 in which Pakistani and Pakistan-trained terrorists killed 26 that Pakistan would play the victim card, India is sending out seven teams to different corners of the world for post-Op Sindoor diplomacy and convey its stance on the suspension of the Indus Waters the Pahalgam attacks, Misri said India could not adhere to the existing terms of the IWT, and that Pakistan had ignored repeated calls to renegotiate the terms of the Indian teams will justify India's stance on the IWT without letting Pakistan play the victim card as a lower riparian in 1960, the Indus Waters Treaty outlines how six rivers — Indus, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej — are divided and managed between India and government has been pressing India to reconsider its decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty, with high-ranking officials, including Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, making stern Minister Narendra Modi reiterated his message delivered after the Pakistan-sponsored Uri attack in 2016, "blood and water can't flow together at the same time". India held the IWT in "abeyance" until Pakistan "abjured cross-border terrorism".Experts say, while India now has legal and diplomatic room to build storage and diversion infrastructure on the western rivers, its ability to significantly alter water flows to Pakistan in the short term remains limited due to existing infrastructural constraints and the time required to develop large-scale suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, which Pakistan took for granted and exported terror to India, has rattled the country and its leadership. That is evident in Friday's "water bomb" statement by Senator Zafar.
Hans India
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
We would die of hunger, must defuse water bomb hanging over us: Pak Senator
Islamabad: Asserting that the country is staring down the barrel of a major water crisis, yet another Pakistani politician on Friday made a desperate appeal to the Shehbaz Sharif government to "defuse" the "water bomb" that is hanging over the country after India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) following the heinous April 22 Pahalgam terror attack which resulted in the death of 26 innocent civilians. "We would die of hunger if we don't resolve the water crisis now. The Indus Basin is our lifeline as three-fourths of our water comes from outside the country, nine out of 10 people depend on the Indus water basin for their living, as much as 90 per cent of our crops rely on this water and all our power projects and dams are built on it. This is like a water bomb hanging over us and we must defuse it," Pakistan Senator Syed Ali Zafar said in his speech during a Senate Session on Friday. The Indus Water Treaty, which was signed in 1960, governs the sharing of the waters of six rivers — Indus, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej — between India and Pakistan. A rattled Islamabad has been urging New Delhi to reconsider its decision of putting IWT into abeyance with the National Security Committee (NSC) of Pakistan and country's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar making threatening and baseless statements over the past few weeks. However, invoking its national security prerogative, India has made it clear that the treaty will remain in abeyance until Islamabad "credibly and irrevocably" ends its support for cross-border terrorism. The move was endorsed by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), the apex decision-making body on strategic affairs, immediately after the Pahalgam terror attack, marking the first time New Delhi has hit pause on the World Bank-brokered agreement. As India launched Operation Sindoor, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has repeatedly underlined the government's uncompromising position that "water and blood cannot flow together" and "terror and talks cannot happen at the same time". "I would also like to underline that any bilateral discussion on Jammu and Kashmir will only be on the vacation of illegally-occupied Indian territory by Pakistan. On the question of the Indus Waters Treaty, I am again repeating myself, it will remain in abeyance until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism. As our Prime Minister has said, water and blood cannot flow together, trade and terror also cannot go together," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated during a weekly media briefing in New Delhi on Thursday. On the same day, Prime Minister Modi reiterated India's firm stance against terrorism, saying there would be no talks or trade with Islamabad unless it relinquishes its illegal occupation of Kashmir. "If there is to be any talk, it will be on Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). If Pakistan continues to export terrorists, it will be left begging for every penny. It will not get a single drop of Indian water," he said while addressing a massive public rally in Rajasthan's Bikaner on Thursday. PM Modi also made it clear that "playing with the blood of Indians will cost Pakistan dearly".
India.com
23-05-2025
- Politics
- India.com
‘Water Bomb': Pakistani Senator Highlights Impact Of India's Indus Treaty Suspension
Amid growing concerns over water scarcity in Pakistan, Senator Syed Ali Zafar has urged the Shahbaz Sharif-led government to "defuse" the "water bomb" after India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. 'The Indus Basin is our lifeline,' Zafar said, adding, 'This is like a water bomb hanging over us — we have to defuse it.' Addressing the Senate, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senator warned of severe consequences for the country if the issue is not resolved. 'If we don't solve this water crisis now, we could die of hunger.' Zafar further emphasized that one out of every ten people depends on water from the Indus River system and that 90 per cent of Pakistan's crops rely on it. "According to statistics, 90% of our crops depend on this water. All our power projects and dams are built on this water. That's why we must understand that this is like a water bomb hanging over us — we have to defuse it, we have to resolve it," he said. India's decision to suspend the IWT came after the Pahalgam attack, which killed 26 people.
Time of India
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
'A water bomb': Pakistan Senator Syed Ali Zafar explains impact of India suspending Indus pact
NEW DELHI: Pakistani senator Syed Ali Zafar has urged the Shahbaz Sharif-led government to "defuse" the "water bomb" dropped by India when it suspended the Indus Waters Treaty following the April 22 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam. While addressing the Senate, the senator from opposition party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) highlighted that one out of ten people is dependent on water from the Indus river system and warned that a large population could die of hunger if the crisis is not addressed. "If we don't solve this water crisis now, we could die of hunger. The reason is that the Indus Basin is our lifeline. Three-fourths of our water comes from outside the country. Out of every ten people, nine are living their lives based on international border basins," Zafar said. "According to statistics, 90% of our crops depend on this water. All our power projects and dams are built on this water. That's why we must understand that this is like a water bomb hanging over us — we have to defuse it, we have to resolve it,"he added. Following the Pahalgam terror attack , which claimed 26 lives, India announced a series of measures, including putting the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in abeyance, to send a strong message to Pakistan over its support for cross-border terrorism. India and Pakistan agreed to an immediate ceasefire after escalated cross-border tensions in the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor. While Pakistan accepted the ceasefire without conditions, India has maintained several punitive measures against its neighbour. The ceasefire was the result of direct engagement between Indian and Pakistani officials, with Islamabad agreeing to the terms with "no preconditions, no postconditions, and no links to other issues." ALSO READ | 'Ties are built on basis of sensitivities to each other's concerns': India's strong message to Turkey, China for backing Pakistan The Indus Waters Treaty allowed Pakistan to control waters from three western rivers — the Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab — while granting India access to the eastern rivers — Ravi, Sutlej, and Beas. These waters are vital for Pakistan's irrigation and drinking needs, supplying about 80% of the country's water. India's decision to suspend the World Bank-backed IWT meant that water flow from the western rivers and their tributaries was disrupted wherever India had control. Although natural channels continue to flow, India's move has reportedly impacted drinking water supply in some parts of Pakistan amid the scorching summer. Islamabad termed the suspension of the pact an 'act of war,' while New Delhi stated that the IWT would remain in abeyance until *'cross-border terrorism by Pakistan is credibly and irrevocably stopped.'
