“Either water will flow in this Indus, or their blood will,” said Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, former foreign minister of Pakistan, in a public statement made at Sukkur. He was commenting on India's decision to formally suspend the Indus Waters Treaty, a water-sharing agreement that has stood since 1960.
“He (Modi) says they are heirs to a civilisation thousands of years old, but that civilisation lies in Mohenjo Daro, in Larkana. We are its true custodians, and we will defend it,” he went on to say at the rally.
The Indus flows through the province, and the Indus Valley Civilisation city of Mohenjo-Daro flourished on its banks. And Bilawal said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has claimed India is heir to a civilisation thousands of years old, "But that civilisation lies in Mohenjo-daro, in Larkana. We are its true custodians, and we will defend it."
As reported by TOI, speaking beside the very river in dispute, Bhutto added, “India has accused Pakistan of the Pahalgam incident, with Modi making false allegations to conceal his own weaknesses and deceive his people. He has unilaterally decided to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty, under which India had acknowledged that the Indus belongs to Pakistan. Standing here in Sukkur by the Indus, I want to tell India that the Indus is ours and will remain ours.”
India acts after Pahalgam attack
On 20 April, 26 people, most of them tourists, were killed in a terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. The Resistance Front (TRF), seen as a proxy of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba group operating from Pakistan, claimed responsibility.
Days later, India invoked Article XII(3) of the Indus Waters Treaty and sent a formal notice to Pakistan. In its letter, the Ministry of Jal Shakti cited Pakistan’s alleged support for cross-border terrorism, shifting demographics, and energy demands as reasons the agreement could no longer continue “in good faith.”
Water Resources Secretary Debashree Mukherjee wrote, “The obligation to honour a treaty in good faith is fundamental to a treaty. However, what we have seen instead is sustained cross-border terrorism by Pakistan targeting the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.”
The move suspended all obligations under the pact—including data sharing, meetings, and approvals for hydropower projects—and effectively allowed India to develop the rivers as it sees fit.
Treaty suspension triggers internal rifts
The fallout from India’s decision has caused ripples within Pakistan too. In February, Pakistan’s military and the Punjab government launched a canals project in Cholistan. The move was met with stiff resistance, especially in Sindh, where protests erupted.
Under pressure from Bhutto’s Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met with Bhutto to cool tensions. At a joint press conference, Sharif said, “Until a decision is reached with mutual consensus in the CCI, no further canal will be constructed.”
This agreement came amid public outrage and growing anxiety about water scarcity across Pakistan.
India tightens domestic response
Alongside the treaty suspension, India has begun identifying Pakistani nationals residing on short-term visas. Union Home Minister Amit Shah reportedly instructed state governments to expedite the repatriation process. A meeting was also held with senior security officials to assess potential national and international fallout from the suspension.
India’s Jal Shakti Minister, CR Patil, echoed the government’s firm stance. “Not a single drop of water is wasted,” he said, indicating that dams along the Indus Basin would be expanded. Plans are being readied for short-, mid- and long-term implementation.
Strategic and economic risks for Pakistan
Pakistan has warned that any move by India to block its water share will be seen as an “act of war.” The Indus Waters Treaty, brokered by the World Bank and signed by Jawaharlal Nehru and Ayub Khan, gave India control over the eastern rivers—Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej—while Pakistan was allocated the western rivers—Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab.
Crucially, the treaty has no sunset clause. Nor does it permit unilateral withdrawal.
Yet now, with India placing the agreement “in abeyance,” Pakistan could face a severe agricultural crisis. Around 80% of its farmland depends on the Indus Basin. If water flows are disrupted during critical crop cycles, food insecurity could spike.
Bhutto-Zardari said that Pakistan had condemned the Pahalgam attack and claimed that India was using the incident to shift attention from internal issues.
“India is unlawfully abrogating the treaty under which it had acknowledged that the Indus belongs to Pakistan,” he said. “India’s announcement to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty is illegal and against humanity. We will raise Pakistan's case not only on the streets but at the international level.”
He is not alone. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has also lashed out at Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in recent days, intensifying the war of words.
Meanwhile, Modi’s own response has been uncompromising. Speaking at a rally in Bihar, he declared, “We will identify, track and punish every terrorist and their backers. We will pursue them to the ends of the earth.”
In response to India's decision to suspend the IWT, Pakistan on Thursday threatened to suspend the Simla Agreement and put other bilateral accords with India on hold. Pakistan also suspended all trade, closed its airspace for Indian airlines and said any attempt to divert the water meant for it under the Indus Water Treaty will be considered an Act of War.
The Simla Agreement was signed in 1972. The treaty, signed in Shimla, was inked by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Pakistani President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Bilawal's grandfather.
Also, the PPP chairman announced on Friday that the federal government has now agreed to subject the construction of the controversial six new canals to consensus among all provinces.
"I want to share that the federal government has decided that no new canals will be built without consensus in the CCI (Council of Common Interests)," he said.
CCI is a high-powered inter-provincial body to tackle controversies between provinces.
(With inputs from TOI)
“He (Modi) says they are heirs to a civilisation thousands of years old, but that civilisation lies in Mohenjo Daro, in Larkana. We are its true custodians, and we will defend it,” he went on to say at the rally.
The Indus flows through the province, and the Indus Valley Civilisation city of Mohenjo-Daro flourished on its banks. And Bilawal said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has claimed India is heir to a civilisation thousands of years old, "But that civilisation lies in Mohenjo-daro, in Larkana. We are its true custodians, and we will defend it."
As reported by TOI, speaking beside the very river in dispute, Bhutto added, “India has accused Pakistan of the Pahalgam incident, with Modi making false allegations to conceal his own weaknesses and deceive his people. He has unilaterally decided to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty, under which India had acknowledged that the Indus belongs to Pakistan. Standing here in Sukkur by the Indus, I want to tell India that the Indus is ours and will remain ours.”
India acts after Pahalgam attack
On 20 April, 26 people, most of them tourists, were killed in a terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. The Resistance Front (TRF), seen as a proxy of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba group operating from Pakistan, claimed responsibility.
Days later, India invoked Article XII(3) of the Indus Waters Treaty and sent a formal notice to Pakistan. In its letter, the Ministry of Jal Shakti cited Pakistan’s alleged support for cross-border terrorism, shifting demographics, and energy demands as reasons the agreement could no longer continue “in good faith.”
Water Resources Secretary Debashree Mukherjee wrote, “The obligation to honour a treaty in good faith is fundamental to a treaty. However, what we have seen instead is sustained cross-border terrorism by Pakistan targeting the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.”
The move suspended all obligations under the pact—including data sharing, meetings, and approvals for hydropower projects—and effectively allowed India to develop the rivers as it sees fit.
Treaty suspension triggers internal rifts
The fallout from India’s decision has caused ripples within Pakistan too. In February, Pakistan’s military and the Punjab government launched a canals project in Cholistan. The move was met with stiff resistance, especially in Sindh, where protests erupted.
Under pressure from Bhutto’s Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met with Bhutto to cool tensions. At a joint press conference, Sharif said, “Until a decision is reached with mutual consensus in the CCI, no further canal will be constructed.”
This agreement came amid public outrage and growing anxiety about water scarcity across Pakistan.
India tightens domestic response
Alongside the treaty suspension, India has begun identifying Pakistani nationals residing on short-term visas. Union Home Minister Amit Shah reportedly instructed state governments to expedite the repatriation process. A meeting was also held with senior security officials to assess potential national and international fallout from the suspension.
India’s Jal Shakti Minister, CR Patil, echoed the government’s firm stance. “Not a single drop of water is wasted,” he said, indicating that dams along the Indus Basin would be expanded. Plans are being readied for short-, mid- and long-term implementation.
Strategic and economic risks for Pakistan
Pakistan has warned that any move by India to block its water share will be seen as an “act of war.” The Indus Waters Treaty, brokered by the World Bank and signed by Jawaharlal Nehru and Ayub Khan, gave India control over the eastern rivers—Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej—while Pakistan was allocated the western rivers—Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab.
Crucially, the treaty has no sunset clause. Nor does it permit unilateral withdrawal.
Yet now, with India placing the agreement “in abeyance,” Pakistan could face a severe agricultural crisis. Around 80% of its farmland depends on the Indus Basin. If water flows are disrupted during critical crop cycles, food insecurity could spike.
Bhutto-Zardari said that Pakistan had condemned the Pahalgam attack and claimed that India was using the incident to shift attention from internal issues.
“India is unlawfully abrogating the treaty under which it had acknowledged that the Indus belongs to Pakistan,” he said. “India’s announcement to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty is illegal and against humanity. We will raise Pakistan's case not only on the streets but at the international level.”
He is not alone. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has also lashed out at Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in recent days, intensifying the war of words.
Meanwhile, Modi’s own response has been uncompromising. Speaking at a rally in Bihar, he declared, “We will identify, track and punish every terrorist and their backers. We will pursue them to the ends of the earth.”
In response to India's decision to suspend the IWT, Pakistan on Thursday threatened to suspend the Simla Agreement and put other bilateral accords with India on hold. Pakistan also suspended all trade, closed its airspace for Indian airlines and said any attempt to divert the water meant for it under the Indus Water Treaty will be considered an Act of War.
The Simla Agreement was signed in 1972. The treaty, signed in Shimla, was inked by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Pakistani President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Bilawal's grandfather.
Also, the PPP chairman announced on Friday that the federal government has now agreed to subject the construction of the controversial six new canals to consensus among all provinces.
"I want to share that the federal government has decided that no new canals will be built without consensus in the CCI (Council of Common Interests)," he said.
CCI is a high-powered inter-provincial body to tackle controversies between provinces.
(With inputs from TOI)
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