Pakistan PM urges grant-based climate finance, warns against 'weaponising' water

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Shehbaz Sharif calls for debt-free support for climate-vulnerable countries at COP31, saying water-sharing agreements must be respected and downstream communities protected.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday called for grant-based climate financing for vulnerable countries and warned against the weaponisation of water during his address to the COP31 summit in Türkiye's southern city of Antalya.

“National effort cannot replace a fair and just global response when climate disaster strikes. Vulnerable countries need timely help and finance that does not deepen their debt,” he said.

Sharif called for grant-based financing, including public-private partnerships, and increased funding for resilience and adaptation, describing them as essential for struggling economies.

He also warned that water “must never be weaponised”, saying no country should be allowed to put the lives and livelihoods of downstream communities at risk.

His remarks came after India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty and stopped sharing water data with Pakistan last year following an attack in India-administered Kashmir that killed 26 people.

Pakistan has suffered several severe floods in recent years, causing loss of life and billions of dollars in damage.

Sharif recalled that devastating flash floods in 2022 submerged one-third of the country and affected 33 million people.

He said he had warned at the United Nations four years ago that “what happens in Pakistan will not stay in Pakistan”, adding that the warning had since become a stark reality.

“The future we feared has become the present we are living. Climate change knows no borders. No nation can face it alone. Solidarity must mean real action,” he said.

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