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Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Friday issued a stark warning to India following its decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty in response to the recent deadly terrorist attack in Pahalgam.
Addressing a public rally, Bhutto-Zardari declared, “I want to tell India that the Indus is ours and will remain ours. Either our water will flow through it, or their blood will.”
He also accused India of scapegoating Pakistan for the Pahalgam attack to deflect attention from its internal security lapses. His remarks came just days after India launched a series of diplomatic and economic measures, including downgrading diplomatic ties with Islamabad, expelling Pakistani military attachés, halting the Indus Waters Treaty, and shutting down the Attari land transit post.
The escalation follows the attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam that left 26 civilians dead, many of them tourists. The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy group tied to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), claimed responsibility—reinforcing longstanding concerns about Pakistan-based terror networks fueling cross-border violence.
In Pakistan, the treaty’s suspension triggered an emergency meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Bhutto-Zardari. The government is also reconsidering the controversial canals project in light of the development.
Understanding the Indus Waters Treaty
Signed on September 19, 1960, the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) stands as a landmark example of cross-border water cooperation. Brokered by the World Bank after nearly a decade of negotiations, the treaty was inked by India’s Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Pakistan’s President Ayub Khan.
Under its terms, the eastern rivers—Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej—were allocated to India, while the western rivers—Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab—were reserved for Pakistan. It contains 12 Articles and 8 Annexures (A–H), setting out clear rules for water usage and dispute resolution.
Crucially, the treaty has no expiration date and no provision for unilateral withdrawal. Disputes are to be addressed through Article IX, which details a three-step resolution mechanism: first through the Permanent Indus Commission, then via a neutral expert, and finally, through a court of arbitration.
