Islamabad/New Delhi: Pakistani defence minister Khawaja Asif has threatened to destroy any structure built by India to divert the flow of water into Pakistan. This threat comes days after India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty, following the terror strike in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam that led to the death of 26 persons, mostly tourists, on April 22.
As much as 80% of Pakistan’s needs for water for agriculture is met by this Treaty. Experts have, however, said that India’s decision is merely symbolic in nature as there is no infrastructure at present that can divert the flow of water into Pakistan. It would take years to build dams and reservoirs to harness the flow of water.
Hence, Khawaja’s threat is being seen as mere rhetoric and warmongering tactics.
In an interview, the Pakistani politician is heard saying that any diversion of Pakistan’s waters would be treated as a ‘face of aggression’. In reply to a question on what if India starts constructing dams on the Indus basin, Khwaja says: “That will be aggression against Pakistan ….. Even if they made an architectural attempt of this kind, then Pakistan will destroy that structure.”
India Today has quoted BJP’s national spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain as saying that such ‘hollow threats’ only reveal the fear among the Pakistanis.
“Khawaja Asif is visibly shaken. Though he is Pakistan’s defence minister, he hardly has any control. He is merely a ‘statement minister’, constantly issuing hollow threats. The fear among Pakistanis is evident. They are losing sleep at night,” Hussain added.
A few days ago, Pakistan People’s Party chief Bilawal Bhutto had said that if water does not flow to Pakistan, blood will. After facing criticism for his comment and being reminded that his mother Benazir Bhutto had been killed been killed by terrorists, Bilawal quickly mended himself and said that he had just said what the people of Pakistan feel.
