Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], August 14 (ANI): Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday called for the continued suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, saying people of the region have suffered from restrictions on the utilisation of their water resources under the agreement.

He took potshots at Pakistan over its stance on the Indus Waters Treaty, saying that Islamabad claims to be 'great sympathizer of the Kashmiris, but when it comes to the issue of water, that sympathy vanishes'.

'Our lifeblood has been drained; these are our rivers, and we had the primary right to them. Pakistan claims to be a great sympathizer of the Kashmiris, but when it comes to the issue of water, that sympathy vanishes. Where was this sympathy when we were stripped of the right to utilize our own rivers? We have been bearing the brunt of this Indus Waters Treaty ever since,' he told reporters.

'The Indus Waters Treaty is suspended, and it should remain suspended so that we can make proper use of this water,' he added.

India decided to put the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance after the Pahalgam terror attack.

The government had said that Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 'will be held in abeyance with immediate effect, until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism'.

The move has far-reaching consequences for Pakistan, a country heavily dependent on the Indus river system for 80% of its 16 million hectares of agricultural land and 93% of its total water use. This system supports 237 million people and contributes one-fourth of Pakistan's GDP through crops like wheat, rice, and cotton.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has threatened a 'direct response' over water even as Islamabad grapples with a mounting share of crises at home -- from worsening militant violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to unrest and human-rights abuses in Balochistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), alongside the continued imprisonment of former Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Sharif again chose India as the target of his rhetoric. Speaking at an event on the eve of Pakistan's Independence Day on Thursday, he said 'if India does not come to the right path, we will give it a direct response'.

Answering another query, Omar Abdullah condemned attack on Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal.

'We condemn this. Such attacks should not happen. An attack had taken place in Amritsar previously as well. It was stated then that special care would be taken regarding his security. He has 'Z-plus' security, but what kind of 'Z-plus' is it? This is the second attack, and this time he even had to be taken to the hospital. Such attacks should not occur in a democracy. If you have a grievance against someone, you can express it during the elections, but resorting to an attack is extremely dangerous for democracy.'

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief and former Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal was attacked with a sharp weapon inside a gurudwara premises in Maharashtra's Nanded on Thursday. He was later taken to hospital. (ANI)