Islamabad: President Asif Ali Zardari has reaffirmed Pakistan's commitment to the conservation and sustainable management of wetlands. On the occasion of World Wetlands Day, being observed today, he said Pakistan is a signatory to the Ramsar Convention 1971, which promotes the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands and their resources for present and future generations.

According to Radio Pakistan, President Zardari highlighted that Sindh bears a disproportionate burden due to wetland degradation, historical water stress, and sea-level rise. He emphasized that protecting these ecosystems is not only an environmental responsibility but also a matter of public welfare and national resilience.

President Asif Ali Zardari also expressed concerns over unilateral actions by India affecting the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960, a legally binding agreement that has governed equitable water sharing in the Indus Basin for decades. He noted that the suspension of treaty mechanisms, including the sharing of hydrological data, undermines trust and predictability, especially when climate pressures necessitate greater cooperation.

He further stated that water must never be used as a tool of coercion, and the weaponization of water as an instrument of war against Pakistan must be rejected. The disruption of river flows poses a threat to millions of lives, livelihoods, and food systems in a country heavily reliant on the Indus Basin.