Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has escalated his remarks regarding the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) dispute with India, invoking Pakistan’s nuclear doctrine and warning that any effort to undermine the country’s water rights could provoke what he described as a “national response”.
The Indus Waters Treaty, signed in 1960, was suspended by India last year following the Pahalgam terror attack. The decision drew strong criticism from Pakistan, where the Indus river system is vital to the economy, supporting irrigation for nearly 80 per cent of the country’s agricultural land.
Addressing an international seminar organised by Pakistan on Tuesday, Bhutto argued that the dispute should not be viewed solely as an environmental or diplomatic matter, but rather as an issue directly linked to Pakistan’s national security and survival.
Responding to a question about why the treaty should not be treated merely as a diplomatic issue, the PPP leader said Pakistan’s nuclear doctrine identifies certain exceptional situations—including threats to the country’s economy and water resources—as matters of existential importance.
“One of the central elements of Pakistan’s nuclear doctrine is that attempts to cripple the country’s economy or restrict its waterways fall among the limited circumstances that Pakistan has identified as potentially warranting a nuclear response,” he said.
Bhutto further argued that if restricting Pakistan’s access to water were considered a scenario that threatened the country’s survival, Islamabad would need to view it not simply as an environmental concern but as a broader existential challenge.
“If cutting off Pakistan’s waters constitutes a nuclear armageddon scenario, then Pakistan cannot address it merely as an environmental issue. It must be treated as an existential assault that requires a coordinated military response,” he said.
Pakistan’s nuclear policy is based on the concept of “credible minimum deterrence,” which has evolved into what the country describes as “full-spectrum deterrence.” This strategy is intended to deter threats across the full range of conflict, from limited military engagements to large-scale warfare.
Unlike India, which maintains a No First Use policy, Pakistan has retained the option of being the first to use nuclear weapons if it believes its national survival is under serious threat.
“Pakistan Will Defend Its Water”
During his speech, Bhutto accused India of attempting to use water as a strategic pressure tool and insisted that Pakistan would not compromise on what it considers its fundamental water rights.
“If anyone believes Pakistan will surrender the Sindh, they do not understand Pakistan. They do not understand Sindh, Punjab, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Kashmir or Gilgit-Baltistan,” he said.
“We seek peace, but peace with dignity. We seek dialogue, but dialogue within the framework of law. We seek coexistence, but not submission. Pakistan will defend its water, its people, its treaty obligations, its sovereignty and its future,” he added.
Bhutto also stressed that the Indus River was not a bargaining instrument but a lifeline for Pakistan, warning against any attempt to use it as leverage.
“The Indus is not a pressure point. It is not a bargaining chip. It is not a weapon to be placed in India’s hands. The Indus is Pakistan’s lifeline,” he said.
Earlier Remarks in 2025
Bhutto had made similar statements shortly after India placed the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance in April 2025.
At that time, he argued that Pakistan had deep historical and civilisational ties to the Indus River system and warned India against restricting water flows to the country.
“The Indus belongs to us and will continue to belong to us. Either our water will flow through it, or their blood will,” he had said.
He also criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and accused India of adopting what he described as a confrontational and aggressive approach, maintaining that neither Pakistan nor the international community would accept attempts to divert or control the waters of the Indus system.
