“Share Water Fairly, Or” Bilawal Bhutto Threatens India Over Indus Waters Treaty Suspension
In a dramatic escalation of tensions, Pakistan’s former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Monday threatened war if India denies Islamabad its share of water under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT). Speaking in the Pakistani parliament, Bhutto, who leads the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), strongly condemned India’s “illegal” suspension of the 1960 water-sharing agreement and vowed to “deliver water to us from all six rivers” of the Indus basin if New Delhi persists.
This fiery rhetoric comes just days after Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced that India would “never” restore the IWT, which New Delhi placed in “abeyance” following the April 22 Pahalgam terrorist attack that claimed 26 lives. India’s stance is that “talks and terror cannot go together” and has linked the treaty’s suspension to Pakistan’s alleged continued support for cross-border terrorism. The Pahalgam attack prompted India to suspend the treaty and take other retaliatory measures, including launching “Operation Sindoor” to strike terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Bhutto’s impassioned address stated, “India has two options: share water fairly, or we will have to wage war again.” He further asserted that India’s claim of the IWT being in abeyance is illegal and violates the UN charter. This follows a sharp reaction from Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry, which had earlier slammed Shah’s declaration as a “brazen disregard” for international agreements.
Despite the strong words, Bhutto also emphasized the need for dialogue and cooperation between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. “If India and Pakistan refuse to talk, and if there is no coordination on terrorism, then violence will only intensify in both countries,” he cautioned.
In a contentious accusation, Bhutto alleged that India was “weaponising terrorism for political purposes” and actively worked to reverse Pakistan’s gains with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). He claimed India made “every effort to drag us back to the grey list using false narratives and diplomatic pressure” precisely when Pakistan had successfully moved to the FATF white list. India, however, has consistently raised concerns about Pakistan’s terror financing and has indicated its intent to present intelligence to the FATF regarding terror infrastructure in Pakistan. The FATF itself recently condemned the Pahalgam attack, noting that such incidents require funding and means to move funds.
Bhutto also highlighted international support on the Kashmir issue, referencing President Donald Trump’s willingness to mediate the dispute, a stance India has consistently rejected, maintaining that Kashmir is a bilateral matter.
The Indus Waters Treaty, brokered by the World Bank, has historically been a robust agreement that has withstood multiple conflicts between India and Pakistan. It allocates the waters of the eastern rivers (Ravi, Beas, Sutlej) to India and the western rivers (Indus, Jhelum, Chenab) to Pakistan.
