Former Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has escalated tensions with India through a series of provocative statements over the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) and Indian dam construction on the Indus River system. Speaking at a cultural event organised by the Sindh Government, Bhutto accused India of “barbarism” and claimed it had “attacked Pakistan” on the issue of water.
Ignoring expectations of diplomatic restraint, Bhutto told his audience that “every Pakistani is prepared to fight a war” and that Pakistan’s military had already delivered a “historic response” to India in the past. Referring to India’s recent military actions, he declared:
Nuclear Threats Resurface
The rhetoric echoed a separate statement attributed to Pakistan’s Army Chief Gen. Asim Munir, who reportedly warned at a private event in Florida, “We are a nuclear nation; if we think we are going down, we’ll take half the world down with us.” Bhutto criticised India’s suspension of cooperation under the Indus Waters Treaty, which New Delhi placed in abeyance after the Pahalgam terror attack. He claimed the move could leave “250 million people at risk of starvation”.
Signed in 1960 and brokered by the World Bank, the IWT allocates India full rights over the eastern rivers (Ravi, Beas, Sutlej) and limited non-consumptive use of the western rivers (Indus, Chenab, Jhelum). India maintains that its hydroelectric projects comply with treaty provisions and that Pakistan is regularly notified of developments.
India’s Strong Rebuttal
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) condemned both Bhutto’s and Munir’s remarks, calling Pakistan’s nuclear threats “stock-in-trade” and warning that such statements reveal a dangerous lack of credible command and control over its nuclear assets.
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The MEA further noted that Pakistan’s military operates “hand-in-glove” with terrorist groups, undermining regional stability. It also criticised the delivery of such threats from the soil of a friendly nation like the US.