Facing Domestic Pressure, Sharif Revives Indus and Kashmir Issues, Claims Pakistan Had the Upper Hand in India Conflict

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif used his address to the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York to revive Islamabad’s longstanding positions on the Indus Waters Treaty and Jammu and Kashmir, while portraying Pakistan’s role in the May 2025 military confrontation with India as a success. Sharif’s remarks came at a time when his government is facing political, economic and security challenges at home. Pakistan continues to deal with economic pressures, protests linked to the detention of former Prime Minister Imran Khan and security concerns in several provinces. Against this backdrop, Sharif used the international platform to project a message of national strength and draw attention to issues that remain central to Pakistan’s foreign-policy narrative.

Speaking about the May 2025 confrontation with India, Sharif said Pakistan had responded to what he described as Indian aggression and claimed that Islamabad had gained the upper hand. His remarks drew a visible reaction from Indian diplomat R Srinivas, who was seen laughing as the Pakistani prime minister discussed Pakistan’s claimed success.

Sharif also credited US President Donald Trump with helping prevent the confrontation from developing into a wider conflict. He said Trump’s intervention came at a critical moment when the two nuclear-armed neighbours were close to a much more serious escalation. Sharif argued that the episode showed why efforts must be made to prevent India and Pakistan from reaching such a dangerous situation again.

India has presented a different account of the events surrounding the end of the fighting. New Delhi has maintained that the cessation of military action followed direct communication between the Indian and Pakistani militaries and has rejected claims that the United States or another third party brokered the understanding.

India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, 2025, following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 civilians were killed. New Delhi said the operation targeted terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir and described the action as a response to cross-border terrorism. India subsequently highlighted the operation as part of its broader strategy to target terrorist networks while keeping escalation under control.

The May confrontation has since produced competing narratives from both countries. Pakistan has described its military response as successful, while India has focused on the destruction of terrorist infrastructure and its stated objective of deterring further attacks. The two sides continue to differ over both the circumstances of the conflict and the events that brought the fighting to an end.

Sharif also strongly criticised India’s decision to place the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance. The agreement, signed by India and Pakistan in 1960, establishes a framework for the sharing and use of the waters of the Indus river system. Under the treaty, the eastern rivers — Ravi, Beas and Sutlej — are primarily allocated to India, while the western rivers — Indus, Jhelum and Chenab — are primarily allocated to Pakistan, subject to specific provisions.

Describing the Indus river system as vital to Pakistan and the wider region, Sharif argued that India’s decision to place the treaty in abeyance had no legal basis and insisted that the agreement remained binding. He warned against using water as a political or strategic tool and said any attempt to stop, restrict or divert Pakistan’s share of the waters would be viewed by Islamabad as an act of war.

India placed the treaty in abeyance following the Pahalgam terror attack and said the arrangement would remain suspended until Pakistan took credible and irreversible action against cross-border terrorism. New Delhi has linked the future of the treaty to Pakistan’s conduct on terrorism, while also maintaining that its position should not be interpreted as an intention to deprive Pakistan of water.

Sharif also used his UN address to renew Pakistan’s position on Jammu and Kashmir. He called for international attention to the issue and repeated Islamabad’s demand for what it describes as a fair settlement based on the principle of self-determination. He said Kashmiris had waited for decades for the United Nations to fulfil what Pakistan considers its commitment to a plebiscite under UN auspices.

The Pakistani prime minister also levelled allegations concerning human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir and reiterated Pakistan’s stated commitment to providing diplomatic and political support to the Kashmiri cause. India rejected Sharif’s references to Jammu and Kashmir and has consistently maintained that the region is an integral part of India. New Delhi has also accused Pakistan of supporting cross-border terrorism and argued that terrorism remains a central obstacle to improved bilateral relations.

India has opposed third-party involvement in its disputes with Pakistan and has maintained that bilateral matters should be addressed directly between the two countries. New Delhi has also rejected attempts to separate discussions on Kashmir from the issue of cross-border terrorism. Sharif’s UN address therefore brought together several familiar elements of Pakistan’s international messaging, including criticism of India’s position on the Indus Waters Treaty, renewed calls for international attention to Kashmir and an effort to present Pakistan’s role in the May 2025 confrontation as a strategic success.

The speech also came as Sharif’s government faces domestic political and economic pressure. By placing emphasis on sovereignty, water security, Kashmir and Pakistan’s military narrative, he used the UN platform to reinforce Islamabad’s established foreign-policy positions. Continues to describe Operation Sindoor as a response to the Pahalgam terror attack and maintains that the subsequent cessation of hostilities resulted from direct military communication between the two countries. The sharply different accounts presented by New Delhi and Islamabad show that the May 2025 confrontation remains a major source of tension, with the Indus Waters Treaty, Jammu and Kashmir and competing accounts of the conflict continuing to shape relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.

Disclaimer: This image is taken from Indian Defence News.