Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has issued a fresh warning to India over the Indus Waters Treaty, saying Pakistan will safeguard every drop of water allocated to it and that any attempt to violate its share would draw a direct response.

The warning came on Thursday, just days ahead of India’s Independence Day on August 15, as Sharif addressed the inaugural ceremony of ‘Yadgar-e-Fatah’ in Islamabad.

Calling water a “red line” for Pakistan, Sharif said India had demonstrated that it was an “enemy of peace” in the region through what he described as a glaring violation of the Indus Waters Treaty.

“Every drop of water is a red line for us and the adversary will face a direct response,” reported The News International.

Sharif also reiterated that Pakistan wants peace and does not seek war, but warned that this should not be interpreted as weakness.

The remarks were made during an event marking what Pakistan describes as its victory in ‘Marka-e-Haq’. President Asif Ali Zardari, Sharif and Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir jointly inaugurated the ‘Yadgar-e-Fatah’ in Islamabad.