Bishkek: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif addressed the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of State Summit in Bishkek, warning that water must never be weaponised, exploited for political leverage, or used as an instrument of coercion. Speaking as Pakistan assumed the SCO chairmanship for the 2026 27 term, the PM described water as the vital lifeblood of South Asia, sustaining millions of lives and agricultural ecosystems.
The remarks coincided with broader regional tensions surrounding the Indus Waters Treaty, where international arbitration rulings recently reaffirmed the agreement's binding legal status despite attempts to suspend its provisions. Addressing the assembly of regional leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, PM Shehbaz outlined Pakistan’s vision for its upcoming one year tenure, which will culminate in hosting the next summit in Islamabad in 2027.
He stressed that international bilateral and multilateral agreements must be fully honoured in both letter and spirit. Highlighting Islamabad’s diplomatic initiatives, he pointed to Pakistan’s role in facilitating the historic Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding between Iran and the United States, alongside the trilateral Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, which he clarified is strictly defensive in nature.
The PM framed regional connectivity and trade infrastructure as strategic necessities for the more than three billion people living within the SCO footprint. Emphasising the China Pakistan Economic Corridor as a crucial conduit linking regional economies with the Arabian Sea, he called for the implementation of the SCO Development Strategy 2035 and the establishment of an SCO Development Bank.
Concluding his speech, PM Shehbaz reiterated Pakistan’s immense sacrifices in counter terrorism operations, noting over ninety thousand lives lost and one hundred and fifty billion dollars in economic damages, while urging renewed global action on poverty alleviation, energy security, and self-determination for oppressed nations.
