"Either water will flow in Indus river or…": Pakistan FM Bilawal Bhutto threatens India
New Delhi : Days after India announced suspension of Indus Water treaty following a terrorist attack on tourists at Pahalgam, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Mr Bilawal Bhutto has threatened India of facing the die-hard consequences over the decision. Meanwhile, India has officially informed Pakistan about its decision to keep Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance with immediate effect.
The decision by India came after 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed in a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam on Tuesday.
Pakistan reacted to it by saying that the water in Indus river belongs to them and any step to stop the water will be seen as "act of war."
Speaking in Sukkur by the banks of the Indus River, Bhutto said, “India has wrongfully blamed Pakistan for the Pahalgam incident. Prime Minister Modi is making baseless accusations to divert attention from his own failures and mislead the Indian public. Now, he has unilaterally decided to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty — an agreement under which India had recognized Pakistan’s rights over the Indus. From here in Sukkur, I want to send a clear message: the Indus is ours and will always remain ours. Either it will carry water or their blood.”
What is the Indus Waters Treaty?
The Indus Waters Treaty, signed in 1960 and brokered by the World Bank, governs the sharing of the Indus River system between India and Pakistan. The treaty outlines how the waters of six rivers—the Indus, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej—are to be allocated between the two countries.
The rivers are divided into two groups:
• Eastern Rivers: Ravi, Beas, Sutlej – allocated exclusively to India.
• Western Rivers: Indus, Jhelum, Chenab – largely allocated to Pakistan, though India can use them for limited irrigation, storage, and hydroelectric power under strict conditions.
India received rights to an average of 33 million acre-feet (MAF) of water annually from the eastern rivers, while Pakistan received the majority share from the western rivers. The treaty has been a key pillar of water cooperation between the two nations, despite ongoing political tensions.
