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Sharif Defends Mecca Defense Pact as Purely Defensive at SCO Summit
(MENAFN) Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif declared Tuesday that the trilateral Mecca Agreement for Joint Defense is "fundamentally defensive" in nature and not targeted at any other nation.
"It is neither directed against any state nor intended to create any confrontation or division," Sharif told delegates at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Heads of State summit in Bishkek, the Kyrgyz capital.
Türkiye, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia signed the pact on August 7, and its Strategic Political and Defence Committee held its inaugural meeting in Istanbul on Monday.
Addressing regional tensions, Sharif said Pakistan has served as an "honest and sincere mediator and facilitator," pointing to diplomatic efforts that produced the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding between the US and Iran, aimed at de-escalating tensions in the region. He called the memorandum a "critical step towards restoration of peace" and the "most viable and enduring pathway" to lasting regional stability.
Water 'must never be weaponized,' Sharif says
Sharif also insisted that water "must never be weaponized" and cannot serve as an "instrument of coercion" or a tool for political leverage, while reaffirming Pakistan's commitment to fighting terrorism.
His remarks come as India has withheld water-related data from Pakistan under the Indus Waters Treaty since last year, following an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 people.
"Water is the life, blood of our region. It sustains millions of lives, nourishes our land and secures the very future of our coming generations," Sharif said, stopping short of naming New Delhi directly.
"The treaties governing our shared waters are solemn, binding international commitments. They are not matters of political convenience to be cast aside at your will. They must be honoured unconditionally, in both letter and spirit."
Sharif noted that more than 90,000 Pakistanis have died and the country has absorbed economic losses exceeding $150 billion over 25 years of fighting terrorism.
Calls for Palestinian self-determination
The Pakistani premier also urged the international community to "honour its commitment to help the Palestinian people alongside all other oppressed nations to secure their fundamental right to self-determination."
With Pakistan set to assume the SCO chairmanship, Sharif said Islamabad's priorities will include connectivity, artificial intelligence, energy, poverty reduction, disaster management, and health. He additionally proposed building an SCO sovereign AI infrastructure and governance framework to foster "responsible and inclusive" development of the technology.
"It is neither directed against any state nor intended to create any confrontation or division," Sharif told delegates at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Heads of State summit in Bishkek, the Kyrgyz capital.
Türkiye, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia signed the pact on August 7, and its Strategic Political and Defence Committee held its inaugural meeting in Istanbul on Monday.
Addressing regional tensions, Sharif said Pakistan has served as an "honest and sincere mediator and facilitator," pointing to diplomatic efforts that produced the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding between the US and Iran, aimed at de-escalating tensions in the region. He called the memorandum a "critical step towards restoration of peace" and the "most viable and enduring pathway" to lasting regional stability.
Water 'must never be weaponized,' Sharif says
Sharif also insisted that water "must never be weaponized" and cannot serve as an "instrument of coercion" or a tool for political leverage, while reaffirming Pakistan's commitment to fighting terrorism.
His remarks come as India has withheld water-related data from Pakistan under the Indus Waters Treaty since last year, following an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 people.
"Water is the life, blood of our region. It sustains millions of lives, nourishes our land and secures the very future of our coming generations," Sharif said, stopping short of naming New Delhi directly.
"The treaties governing our shared waters are solemn, binding international commitments. They are not matters of political convenience to be cast aside at your will. They must be honoured unconditionally, in both letter and spirit."
Sharif noted that more than 90,000 Pakistanis have died and the country has absorbed economic losses exceeding $150 billion over 25 years of fighting terrorism.
Calls for Palestinian self-determination
The Pakistani premier also urged the international community to "honour its commitment to help the Palestinian people alongside all other oppressed nations to secure their fundamental right to self-determination."
With Pakistan set to assume the SCO chairmanship, Sharif said Islamabad's priorities will include connectivity, artificial intelligence, energy, poverty reduction, disaster management, and health. He additionally proposed building an SCO sovereign AI infrastructure and governance framework to foster "responsible and inclusive" development of the technology.
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