Pakistan’s Bilawal Bhutto Warns of War Over India’s Suspension of Indus Waters Treaty
ISLAMABAD – Pakistan’s former foreign minister and key government ally, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, issued a stark warning on Monday that the escalating water dispute with India could trigger another war if New Delhi follows through on its threat to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT).
Speaking before parliament in Islamabad, Bhutto declared, “If India decides to follow through on the [water] threat, we will have to wage war again.” His comments follow Indian Home Minister Amit Shah’s statement over the weekend that the IWT “will never be restored,” signaling a hardened stance after India’s suspension of the treaty in the wake of the April 22 Pahalgam attack in Indian-administered Kashmir.
The Indus Waters Treaty, brokered by the World Bank in 1960, governs the shared use of the Indus River system between the two nations. Bhutto insisted the agreement remains legally binding and warned that threatening to cut off Pakistan’s water supply violates international law. “This is illegal… the threat itself of stopping water is illegal according to the UN charter,” he stated, vowing that if India refuses to share water fairly, “we will deliver water to us from all six rivers.”
He urged a revival of diplomatic dialogue between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, stressing that renewed talks are essential to reduce rising tensions and preserve regional stability
