Saturday, March 29, 2025
In the wake of the terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 people, India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty as part of its punitive measures against Pakistan. Reacting strongly, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari warned that if India tries to block the Indus River’s flow, it would lead to “Indian blood flowing instead of water.”
Speaking to protestors in Sukkur, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari asserted that the Indus River rightfully belongs to Pakistan. Referring to the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, Bhutto said, “India has accepted that the Indus belongs to Pakistan.”
He added emphatically, “Whether water flows in the Indus or their blood, the river will remain ours.”
The Indian government has yet to officially respond to Bhutto’s provocative remarks.
Bhutto’s comments come just two days after India announced a series of strong measures against Pakistan, following the Pahalgam terror attack. After a Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India declared the Indus Waters Treaty suspended until Pakistan stops supporting cross-border terrorism.
New Delhi also formally communicated the suspension to Islamabad, citing breaches of treaty terms due to Pakistan’s continued backing of terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.
Pakistan swiftly condemned India’s move.
Awais Lekhari, Pakistan’s Power Minister, described India’s action as “an act of water warfare” and labeled it “cowardly and illegal” in a statement on social media.
Meanwhile, a senior Pakistani minister warned that the treaty’s suspension could escalate tensions further between the two countries.
Signed in 1960 after nine years of negotiations, the Indus Waters Treaty was brokered by the World Bank to ensure fair sharing of the Indus River and its tributaries — Sutlej, Beas, Ravi, Jhelum, and Chenab — between India and Pakistan.
The treaty established mechanisms for cooperation and data exchange regarding water usage and infrastructure projects.
Apart from suspending the treaty, India also initiated other steps against Pakistan:
Closure of the Integrated Check Post at the Attari border
Cancellation of SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) visas issued to Pakistani nationals
Reduction in the staff strength of the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi from 55 to 30
These measures underline New Delhi’s hardened stance against Islamabad following the attack in Jammu and Kashmir
