Lahore: After India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty following the deadly Pahalgam terrorist attack on April 22, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari had said, “Either our water will flow through it, or their blood will.”
The former Pakistan minister, whose provocative statement had sparked a huge controversy, on Wednesday defended his comments, saying that he was only communicating what the people of Pakistan felt.
Asked whether his comment might further escalate tensions between India and Pakistan, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chief responded, “After India violated the treaty, it came not as a personal natural reaction from my side, but an articulation of the feelings of the people of Pakistan.”
“As I am sure you are aware, when there’s war, blood does flow,” Bhutto told the BBC, noting that the Pakistan government has always maintained any move leading to withdrawal of the Indus Waters Treaty would be considered an act of war.
Bhutto went on to say that since Pakistan does not have any river to shut off on India, suspending the Indus treaty would be an act of war if “India was to weaponise the Indus water against the people of Pakistan.”
The Indus Waters Treaty, signed in September 1960, governs how waters of six rivers of the Indus basin are utilised and distributed between the two countries. If the treaty is actually suspended, Pakistan will be hugely impacted as it provides water for 80% of the country’s agricultural land.
Bhutto dismissed reports of continuous ceasefire violations by Pakistan along the Line of Control (LoC) and international border with India.
“What are we to gain from an attack like that in disputed Kashmir or firing along LoC? I know without hesitation that Pakistan will just be responding to the firing by the Indian side,” was his response.
