Former Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has stirred fresh controversy with a barrage of provocative statements directed at India, warning that the construction of dams on the Indus River system by India could lead to war. The comments, widely seen as inflammatory and lacking diplomatic maturity, come amid continued Pakistani attempts to politicise the Indus Waters Treaty, a decades-old agreement India has consistently upheld.
In a fiery speech to supporters, Bhutto accused the Modi government of launching a "historic attack" on the Indus River, calling it not just a water source but a symbol of Pakistan’s heritage. "When Modi talks about building dams, he is attacking our history and our compassion," Bhutto claimed, equating legal hydroelectric development with cultural warfare.
He further alleged that India’s actions threatened Pakistan's only water resource and posed global implications. "We’ve told the world how Modi is attacking the Indus," he said, claiming he had raised the issue in the US and Europe, though no international body has taken a position aligning with Bhutto’s alarmist narrative.
Despite portraying himself as a proponent of peace, Bhutto issued clear threats: "If India builds dams, there will be "he warned, suggesting that Pakistan’s provinces were ready to rise against any Indian move related to the river. Ironically, these remarks came even as he accused India of promoting conflict.
He added, “If you think about this kind of attack like (Operation) Sindoor, then people from every province of Pakistan are ready to confront you. And this is a war you will definitely lose.” In further remarks, he also called India’s Indus Waters Treaty move the “biggest attack” on the Sindhu River. “People of Sindh raise their voices and reach the ground to save Sindhu (river) when such an attack is launched,” he said.
The Indus Waters Treaty, signed in 1960 and brokered by the World Bank, grants India full rights over the eastern rivers (Ravi, Beas, Sutlej) and limited use of the western rivers (Indus, Chenab, Jhelum) for non-consumptive purposes such as hydroelectricity. India has adhered to these terms, building projects within treaty limits and notifying Pakistan transparently.
Earlier, Pakistan Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir has sparked global concern with nuclear threats made during his visit to Tampa, Florida, where he told members of the Pakistani diaspora that Pakistan would use nuclear weapons if it faced an existential threat from India, reportedly stating, “We are a nuclear nation. If we think we are going down, we’ll take half the world down with us.” He also threatened Indian infrastructure if water flow to Pakistan was blocked.
This alarming rhetoric, made during Munir’s second US visit in two months, prompted a sharp response from India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), which condemned Pakistan’s nuclear posturing as its 'stock-in-trade' and cited the statement as further evidence of the lack of credible command and control over nuclear assets in Pakistan. The MEA added that such threats made from the territory of a friendly nation like the US were regrettable and reaffirmed that India would not succumb to nuclear blackmail.
Meanwhile, Islamabad reiterated its commitment to the Indus Waters Treaty and urged India to resume cooperation, which New Delhi had suspended following a terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, linking Pakistan’s threats and terror ties as central to the breakdown in trust.
