‘If Water Used As Weapon…’: Bilawal Bhutto’s War Rhetoric Returns Over Indus Waters Treaty

Last Updated:June 24, 2025, 09:30 IST

Bilawal Bhutto rejected India’s move to suspend the agreement and brazenly threatened retaliation over what he called an illegal suspension of the treaty.

Former Pakistan Minister Bilawal Bhutto. (AP File)

Former Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari issued a blunt warning saying that Pakistan would go to war if India denies Islamabad its share of water under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT).

While speaking during the budget session of National Assembly, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman rejected India’s move to suspend the agreement and brazenly threatened retaliation over what he called an illegal suspension of the treaty.

“India has two options: share water fairly, or we will deliver water to us from all six rivers," Bhutto said referring to the six rivers of the Indus basin, as quoted by news agency PTI.

He said that the IWT was still in vogue as the agreement cannot be held in abeyance.

“The attack on Sindhu (Indus River) and India’s claim that the IWT has ended and it’s in abeyance. Firstly, this is illegal, as the IWT is not in abeyance, it is binding on Pakistan and India, but the threat itself of stopping water is illegal according to the UN charter," he said.

Bilawal also emphasised dialogue and cooperation and said, “If India and Pakistan refuse to talk, and if there is no coordination on terrorism, then violence will only intensify in both countries," he said.

He accused India of “weaponising terrorism for political purposes" and claimed that India worked diplomatically to reverse Pakistan’s gains on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) front.

“At a time when Pakistan had successfully moved from the FATF grey list to the white list, India made every effort to drag us back to the grey list using false narratives and diplomatic pressure," he claimed.

The PPP leader further said that Pakistan succeeded in raising the issue of Kashmir on the world stage and US President Donald Trump had spoken in favour of mediation on Kashmir.

Bilawal’s comments came days after Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced to never restore the historic 1960 water-sharing agreement, which New Delhi put in abeyance following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that claimed the lives of 26 people.

“We will use water that rightfully belongs to India. We will take the water that was flowing to Pakistan to Rajasthan by constructing a canal. Pakistan will be starved of water that it has been getting unjustifiably," Shah had said.

His statement followed a sharp reaction from Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry, which two days earlier had slammed Shah’s declaration as a “brazen disregard" for international agreements.

This is not the first time when he made a stark statement against India. Previously he said that, “Either our water will flow through it, or their blood will," and threatened that “blood will flow if India stops Indus River water."

Bhutto has also called for international intervention, emphasising that blocking Pakistan’s water supply would leave “no option but war."

The Indus Waters Treaty was suspended with immediate effect after India-Pakistan ties deteriorated sharply following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, as India took a series of diplomatic decisions such as expelling Pakistani nationals.

Apart from immediate steps such as putting the IWT in abeyance and stopping all trade with Pakistan, India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting terrorist infrastructure in territories controlled by Pakistan in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. The strikes triggered four days of intense clashes that ended with an understanding on stopping the military actions on May 10.

(With inputs from PTI)

Shobhit Gupta

Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degree from Ben...Read More

Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degree from Ben...

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Islamabad, Pakistan

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News world ‘If Water Used As Weapon…’: Bilawal Bhutto’s War Rhetoric Returns Over Indus Waters Treaty