Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has told world leaders at the COP31 climate summit in Antalya that water must never be used as a weapon, and that countries hit hardest by climate disasters need grant-based finance rather than loans that deepen their debt.

Addressing the summit in Turkiye on Thursday, the prime minister said national efforts alone could not protect vulnerable nations from floods, heatwaves and other disasters. He called for timely help that does not add to the debt burdens of struggling economies, including grants, public-private partnerships and a significant increase in funding for adaptation and resilience.

“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.

Water-sharing agreements must be honoured

Shehbaz stressed that water must never become a tool of political or economic pressure, and that no country should be allowed to endanger the lives and livelihoods of people living downstream. He said water-sharing agreements must be honoured in full, both in their wording and in their purpose.

He did not name India in his remarks. They came, however, amid an ongoing dispute over New Delhi’s decision to place the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance in April 2025, a move Pakistan has repeatedly rejected. Islamabad has warned that any disruption to its share of the Indus river system could threaten farming, livelihoods and water security for millions of people.

The prime minister argued that developing nations, although they contribute relatively little to global emissions, continue to carry a disproportionate share of the harm caused by extreme weather. “People who have contributed the least to climate change bear its heaviest consequences,” he said.

Floods of 2022 and 2025 shape the appeal

Recalling Pakistan’s vulnerability to climate disasters, Shehbaz pointed to the catastrophic floods of 2022, which submerged nearly a third of the country, affected around 33 million people and killed more than 1,700. He said economic losses from that disaster exceeded $30 billion, with standing crops destroyed and millions of acres of land inundated.

He also recalled the flash floods that struck Buner in August 2025, sharing the story of a young man whose wedding was just two days away when floodwater tore through his village. “A home preparing for celebration became a house of mourning,” he said, adding that he had met families who lost their homes, livelihoods and loved ones.

Recalling his earlier address to the United Nations, he said he had warned four years ago that what happens in Pakistan will not stay in Pakistan. “Unfortunately, that warning has become a stark reality. The future we feared has become the present we are living in,” he added. “Climate change knows no borders. No nation can face it alone. Solidarity must mean real action.”

Solar growth and meetings on the sidelines

Setting out Pakistan’s climate commitments, the prime minister said the country had added more than 20 gigawatts of distributed solar capacity in two years, and that clean energy now makes up nearly 55 per cent of the energy mix. He also pointed to the Chashma-5 nuclear power project, which he said would add 1,200 megawatts of low-emission electricity once it becomes operational, and said Pakistan aimed to cut projected emissions by roughly 50 per cent by 2035 alongside expanding electric mobility.

On the sidelines of the summit, Shehbaz met Finnish President Alexander Stubb, with the two leaders agreeing to strengthen cooperation in trade, technology, education and climate resilience. He also met Sudan’s Transitional Sovereignty Council President, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and reaffirmed Pakistan’s support for Sudan’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, expressing solidarity with the Sudanese people.

He thanked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the people of Turkiye for hosting the summit and for their support during the floods of 2010 and 2022, and commended Australia’s role as President of Negotiations. Closing his address, he asked leaders to judge the summit by its practical results. “At COP31, let our success be measured not by the promises we make here, but by the families we protect, the resources we deliver and the meaningful action we sustain,” he said.