Pakistan's former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto has issued a sharp warning, declaring that Pakistan would consider going to war if India denies Islamabad its rightful share of water under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT). Speaking in the National Assembly, Bilawal, who leads the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), strongly criticised India’s stance on the treaty and accused it of taking illegal steps to suspend the decades-old water-sharing agreement.
He stated that if India fails to share water fairly, Pakistan would be compelled to “wage war again,” referring to the strategic and emotional importance of the six rivers of the Indus basin. “India has two options: share water fairly, or we will take it by force. The Indus Waters Treaty is not in abeyance. It is legally binding and recognized internationally,” Bilawal said. He further added that India's claim of the treaty being suspended or ended was not only factually incorrect but also illegal under the UN charter.
His remarks came after Indian Home Minister Amit Shah’s controversial declaration that India would never restore the 1960 Indus Water Treaty, which had been put on hold following the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that claimed 26 lives. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry had already reacted sharply to Shah's statement, calling it a blatant disregard for international norms and treaty obligations.
Despite the strong rhetoric, Bilawal also struck a note of caution, stating that the only path to peace lies in dialogue and cooperation. “If both countries avoid dialogue, if there is no coordination on terrorism, then the result will be more violence and more instability,” he warned.
He accused India of using terrorism as a political tool and trying to reverse Pakistan’s progress on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) platform. According to him, India diplomatically pressured international forums to push Pakistan back to the grey list, even after the country had made significant progress and was removed from it.
Bilawal also mentioned international efforts on Kashmir, noting that Pakistan had managed to raise the issue globally. He recalled that former US President Donald Trump had even offered to mediate in the longstanding dispute, a move welcomed by Islamabad.
India’s response to the Pahalgam attack by suspending the Indus Waters Treaty has clearly escalated tensions. Bilawal's statements, though fiery, underline the high stakes involved in South Asia’s most sensitive geopolitical and environmental issue—water.
