Bilawal Bhutto warned of war if India denies Pakistan its water share under the Indus Waters Treaty, calling the suspension illegal. He also accused India of using terrorism and FATF pressure for political gains, while stressing the need for dialogue.
Pakistan’s former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto on Monday said that Pakistan would go to war if India denies Islamabad its share of water under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT).
Bilawal, who heads the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), said if India follows through on denying water, “we will have to wage war again.” Speaking in parliament, Bilawal rejected India’s move and 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,” he said, referring to the six rivers of the Indus basin. He further added, “The attack on Sindhu (Indus River) and India’s claim that the Indus Water Treaty 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 of stopping water is illegal according to the UN charter.”
His comments came days after Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced that India would never restore the 1960 water-sharing agreement, which New Delhi put in abeyance following the April 22 Pahalgam terrorist attack that killed 26 people.
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.
However, 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 alleged.
