Health Minister Mustafa Kamal has called for holding India accountable for threatening to halt the flow of Indus River waters, warning that such a course would jeopardize the health of over 240 million Pakistani people.
“Weaponizing water and targeting civilian health infrastructure by India are flagrant breaches of international law,” he told the World Health Assembly-78, a body of the World Health Organization, currently meeting in Geneva.
During recent tensions, Kamal stated that Indian strikes also damaged a government dispensary, disrupting front-line care for vulnerable communities.
India launched unprovoked attacks on Pakistan earlier on the night of May 6-7, damaging several infrastructures and martyring more than 50 individuals, including security forces personnel.
The Health Minister also underscored Pakistan’s unwavering commitment to the WHO’s global health agenda, emphasizing that polio eradication remains the government’s foremost priority.
Furthermore, the Health Minister highlighted national progress on reducing preventable maternal and child mortality; increasing immunization coverage; and improving responses to infectious diseases such as HIV, malaria, dengue, and hepatitis. He also expressed appreciation for the adoption of the landmark Pandemic Agreement.
India reacted to the Health Minister’s statement by repeating its usual string of allegations against Pakistan.
Danyal Hasnain, a Second Secretary at the Pakistani Mission to the UN in Geneva, retaliated against India, warning: “As a lower riparian, unrestricted access to water is a matter of survival for us, and history has proven that whenever provoked, Pakistan has always defended itself and will do it again, with all means at its disposal.”
He stated: “The entire world recently witnessed how the hubris-inspired adventurism and reckless military action by the Indian government, led by the BJP, imperiled regional peace and security.”
“Fueled by its misplaced notions of superiority, the Indian government once again proved that it is one of the most persistent violators of international law,” he added.
Hasnain further elaborated: “However, the recent illegal military actions undertaken by India violated every precept of international law, especially the UN Charter, which guarantees the sovereignty and integrity of member states.”
