Pakistan’s Bilawal Bhutto Issues Sharp Warning to India Over Indus Waters After Pahalgam Attack
Bilawal Bhutto warns India: The heartbreaking attack in Pahalgam, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, the leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), gave a firm message to India, expressing serious concerns over rising tensions and urging India not to interfere with Pakistan’s water rights. Speaking at a public gathering in Sukkur, Sindh, Bilawal said that Pakistan would not stay silent if India tried to block its rightful share of water from the Indus River. He stressed that if the water is stopped, there will be severe consequences, declaring, “Our water will flow — if not, then blood will.”
Bilawal delivered his strong message soon after India said it would suspend the Indus Waters Treaty. This treaty, which has managed to stay in place despite many years of tension between the two countries, is now being reconsidered by India following the deadly Pahalgam terror attack that claimed the lives of 26 people, most of whom were tourists. The Resistance Front (TRF), a group tied to the banned Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, admitted to carrying out the attack.
Defending the Indus and Sindh’s Heritage
Bilawal emphasized the long-standing historical and cultural relationship that the people of Sindh have with the Indus River. Highlighting that the Indus Valley Civilization flourished along its banks in cities like Mohenjo-Daro thousands of years ago, he said, “Modi says India inherits a civilization thousands of years old, but Mohenjo-Daro stands in Sindh, in Larkana. We are its true guardians, and we will protect it at any cost.”
He also spoke out against India, accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government of trying to take control of Pakistan’s share of the river waters. Bilawal urged unity among Pakistan’s four provinces to safeguard their shared lifeline: “We must stand together to defend our river. The people of Sindh will never stand by and let India take away their share of the river water.”
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Pakistan’s Strong Response: Diplomatic Ties, Treaties, and Trade at Risk
Following India’s decision to downgrade diplomatic relations after the Pahalgam incident, Pakistan reacted strongly. Islamabad warned it might cancel the 1972 Simla Agreement — an important deal that helped restore peace after the 1971 India-Pakistan war. The treaty was first signed by Bilawal’s grandfather, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, along with India’s then-Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi.
In addition to treaty threats, Pakistan also:
- Suspended all trade with India.
- Closed its airspace to Indian airlines.
- Warned that any attempts by India to divert the Indus waters would be treated as an Act of War.
“The world must know that any robbery of the Sindhu (Indus) River will not be tolerated,” Bilawal stressed, vowing to take the issue to international platforms if necessary.
A Call for Internal Consensus
In a significant announcement during his rally, Bilawal revealed that the Pakistani federal government had agreed not to move forward with the construction of six controversial new canals without the approval of all provinces.
“He stated that no new canals would be constructed unless all provinces give their approval through the Council of Common Interests (CCI). The CCI is a powerful inter-provincial body responsible for resolving disputes among provinces on resource-sharing and development projects.
This move is seen as an attempt to ensure that inter-provincial unity remains strong amid growing tensions with India and internal disagreements about water resource management.
Bilawal’s Stand on Terrorism
Interestingly, despite the fiery rhetoric, Bilawal also condemned the Pahalgam terror attack, emphasizing that Pakistan itself has been a long-time victim of terrorism. He stressed that the people of Pakistan did not support the attack and that violence should not dictate the future of Indo-Pak relations.
“Our people have suffered too much due to terrorism,” Bilawal said. “We condemn the Pahalgam attack. But we will not allow anyone to use it as an excuse to rob us of our rightful share of water.”
The Bigger Picture
The Indus Waters Treaty, created with the help of the World Bank in 1960, has held up over the years, even through wars and political challenges between India and Pakistan. India’s recent move to suspend it is a major and never-seen-before escalation. Analysts fear that tensions over water could open a dangerous new front in the already strained relationship between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.
As the situation develops, all eyes are now on how the international community, especially mediators like the United Nations and World Bank, respond to this deepening crisis.
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