ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday warned that any attempt by India to stop Pakistan’s share of water would be considered an “act of war,” stressing that water remains a red line for the country. “We will not allow water to be used as a weapon against Pakistan,” the prime minister said while addressing a joint press conference with Maldives President Dr Mohamed Muizzu in Islamabad. Earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz and President Muizzu held bilateral and delegation-level talks at the Prime Minister’s House, where the two sides exchanged 20 memorandums of understanding (MOUs) aimed at expanding cooperation across a wide range of sectors. Prime Minister Shehbaz welcomed the Maldivian president upon his arrival at the Prime Minister’s House, where a guard of honor was presented in his honor. President Muizzu inspected the guard and also planted a commemorative sapling. During their talks, the two leaders reviewed Pakistan-Maldives bilateral relations and exchanged views on regional and international developments. Prime Minister Shehbaz reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to further strengthening its longstanding fraternal ties with the Maldives and supporting the island nation in achieving its national development priorities. Economic cooperation featured prominently in the discussions, with both sides agreeing to enhance bilateral trade, investment, tourism, food security, pharmaceutical cooperation and partnerships between their private sectors. The two leaders also stressed the need to improve air and maritime connectivity and agreed on the importance of convening a meeting of the Joint Economic Commission at the earliest opportunity. Pakistan and the Maldives set a target to increase bilateral trade from the current $13.4 million to $200 million over the next two years. Prime Minister Shehbaz reiterated Pakistan’s readiness to supply essential food items and medicines to the Maldives through direct government-to-government arrangements. He also announced an additional 20 undergraduate scholarships annually for Maldivian students and reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to cooperation in healthcare, professional training and institutional capacity building. As part of President Muizzu’s “Five Million Tree Planting Program,” the prime minister announced that Pakistan would provide 100,000 olive saplings and 100,000 seeds of various plant species over the next 12 months, subject to seasonal availability. Pakistan will also send experts to the Maldives to assist in establishing plant nurseries, with the initiative expected to help produce one million plants over the next three years. Prime Minister Shehbaz appreciated the Maldives’ principled position on Palestine and briefed President Muizzu on Pakistan’s stance regarding the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, the Indus Waters Treaty and the regional security situation. The two leaders witnessed the exchange of 20 MOUs covering cooperation in health, education, technical training, tourism, civil aviation, agriculture, fisheries, defense, maritime security, law enforcement, civil service, social protection, culture, youth affairs and other sectors. During their joint media interaction, both leaders expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the talks and stressed the need for timely implementation of the agreements to ensure tangible benefits for the people of both countries. In a separate ceremony, the International Islamic University Islamabad conferred an honorary PhD in Politics and International Relations on President Muizzu in recognition of his leadership, public service and contributions to the development of the Maldives President Muizzu’s visit marks the first official visit to Pakistan by a Maldivian president in 11 years. The visit also coincides with the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and the Maldives, underscoring efforts by both countries to broaden and deepen their bilateral partnership.
