Amid rising tensions between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack, Pakistani politician Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has sparked fresh controversy by issuing a sharp warning against India’s decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty. Zardari declared that if India blocks the flow of the Indus River, “Indian blood will flow instead,” further fueling the already strained relations between the two neighbors. His comments come as India initiated several strong actions against Pakistan, highlighting a rapidly worsening diplomatic standoff.
Bilawal Bhutto issues strong warning over Indus waters
Speaking at a rally of protesters in Sukkur, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari accused India of blaming Pakistan for the Pahalgam terror attack to “hide its failures” and “fool its citizens.” Referring to the Indus Waters Treaty, Zardari claimed that India has already acknowledged Pakistan’s rights over the Indus River. He said, “The Indus is ours and will remain ours, whether water flows or their blood.” His provocative remarks came just after India’s announcement to suspend the decades-old treaty following the terror attack in Kashmir that killed 26 civilians.
India’s move marks a significant escalation, considering that the Indus Waters Treaty, brokered by the World Bank in 1960, has long been considered a rare successful agreement between the two rival nations. Islamabad has described New Delhi’s action as an act of “water warfare,” accusing India of violating international commitments.
India’s strong response following Pahalgam attack
In response to the terror attack, India not only suspended the Indus Waters Treaty but also closed the Integrated Check Post (ICP) at the Attari border, reduced Pakistan’s diplomatic strength in India, and revoked SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) visas issued to Pakistani nationals. In an official communication, India’s Water Resources Secretary Debashree Mukherjee informed her Pakistani counterpart that continued cross-border terrorism from Pakistan had severely undermined New Delhi’s rights under the treaty.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s power minister Awais Leghari criticized India’s suspension of the treaty, calling it a “cowardly” and “illegal” move on social media platform X. The escalating actions on both sides underline a dangerous phase in Indo-Pak relations, with the risk of further deterioration looming large.
