Ex-Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari made a stark statement on Monday, saying that Islamabad would go to war with India if it is not allowed its right amount of water as per the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT).
His announcement comes after India suspended the 1960 treaty following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 individuals. Indian Home Minister Amit Shah recently stated that the agreement would not be restored, a position that elicited condemnation from Pakistan's Foreign Ministry, which is being led by Ishaq Dar. The ministry criticized Shah for demonstrating "brazen disregard" of global commitments.
Speaking to lawmakers in Pakistan's Parliament, Bhutto went hard against India's suspension of the treaty and threatened that Islamabad would seek its share of water at any cost, even war.
"India has two choices: distribute water equitably, or we will bring water to us (Pakistan) from all six rivers," he told lawmakers, alluding to the six rivers that constitute the Indus basin.
Bhutto emphasized that the treaty, formed under international oversight, is legally binding and cannot be suspended unilaterally. "The IWT is not in abeyance, it is binding on Pakistan and India, but the threat of stopping water is illegal, as per the UN charter," he was quoted as saying by an agency report.
Being the chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party, Bhutto cautioned further that if India implements this threat, "we will have to wage a war again." But he also underscored the importance of dialogue and collaborative efforts against terrorism, implying that miscommunication may escalate violence in the region.
If India and Pakistan don't talk, and if terrorism coordination doesn't happen, then violence will only escalate in both nations," he said.
Looking back at his diplomatic efforts during his time as Foreign Minister, Bhutto claimed that India campaigned against Pakistan's advancement with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), employing influence and disinformation to discredit Islamabad's gains.
At a moment when Pakistan had negotiated itself out of the FATF grey list to the white list, India took every effort to push us back into the grey list with false narratives and diplomatic pressure," he added.
He also referred to Pakistan's diplomatic campaign on the Kashmir question, asserting success in drawing international interest into the case. Bhutto emphasized that former United States President Donald Trump had expressed support for mediation on the decades-long conflict.
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