ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari warned India that if it violates the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), Pakistan will be left with no option but to go to war.
Former foreign minister Bilawal said Monday while speaking on the Budget-2025-26 in the National Assembly that “Pakistan would go to war if India denies its share of water under the Indus Waters Treaty.” He rejected India’s move and threatened retaliation over what he called an illegal suspension of the treaty.
He said, “India has two options—either respect the treaty or face conflict if it attempts to divert river water through dams or canals.”
Without naming Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bilwal referred to him as a “cheap copy of Netanyahu” and accused him of threatening regional peace. He asserted that Pakistan has already defeated India on diplomatic, military, and narrative fronts. He emphasised that water belongs to Pakistan and warned that any effort to block it would be a violation of the United National (UN) Charter.
He also said that Pakistan is not just defending its own water rights but also standing up for peace in the region. He stressed that future generations of both countries deserve cooperation, not conflict. “India wants us to fight over water, but we want peace,” he said.
“We know that our military and Air Force are capable of achieving victory in the next war, just as they did in the last one. India has only two options, it can either abide by the IWT, but if it decides to build canals and dams, then it should be prepared to give up all six rivers,” he warned.
Bilawal also noted growing global sympathy for the Kashmiri cause. He claimed that Kashmir is no longer an internal issue for India but has become an international concern, which he called a major diplomatic success for Pakistan.
“Our narrative was of peace, we had already won the war, downed six of their jets. We raised our voices for three main issues, first and foremost being the Kashmir cause. We relayed the hopes and rights of the people of Kashmir as per the UN Resolution,” he said.
He said that that when India violated the rights of Kashmir in 2019, then the prime minister of Pakistan at the time “expressed helplessness”. “This time, when Kashmir was attacked, and Pakistan was attacked, we did not bow or succumb to fear; we fought a war and won. After Imran Khan’s regime, India had gotten the confidence to proclaim Kashmir as their ‘internal’ matter, but global observers are now agreeing to Kashmir being an international issue.”
Bilawal said that in our region too, we have “a cheaper copy of Netanyahu”. “We can say with pride that this cheaper version was defeated militarily, diplomatically and in terms of narrative. The PM and President of Pakistan had entrusted our committee with a vital responsibility, and we can proudly say that we presented Pakistan’s stance and narrative wherever we went. The representatives of the cheaper copy too presented their stance.”
The PPP chairman said that the terrorism is a biggest issue of the country. “India made attempts to justify its attack on Pakistan by using terrorism as an excuse. We can proudly assert that India has lost even on this front. India’s efforts were dedicated to getting Pakistan declared as a “terrorist state”. They wanted Pakistan to be called “Terroristan”. They were hoping for FATF, GSP Plus and all other forums to see Pakistan with this lens, to the extent that they tried erecting hurdles in the way of Pakistan getting its IMF package.
However, Pakistan won on every front. A political party in the past tried harming Pakistan’s IMF programme, they were unsuccessful. This time, it was India making the futile effort and losing, he said.
The PPP chairman praised the Foreign Office and diplomats of Pakistan. He said that the Pakistani delegation reached Washington DC, where the biggest lobby after the Israelis is the Indian lobby. “These two lobbies did their best to harm Pakistan and get support for India’s narrative from the White House, State Department, Congress, or think tanks, which they were unable to do,” he said.
Bilawal said that a prominent figure of the US military, in an address to a congressional committee said that “Pakistan has been a phenomenal partner in combating terrorism.” When the State Department’s representative was asked about President Trump’s willingness to mediate between Pakistan and India for the Kashmir cause, the answer was an affirmative one. This too is India’s defeat and our triumph.
Bilawal said that our Field Marshall, Chief of Army Staff, Asim Munir was invited for a lunch by President Trump at the White House. “Is a defeated army ever extended such an invitation? The answer is, no. This was a congratulatory lunch to the head of the military that defied the entire world’s expectations, by defeating a country seven times larger in size and significantly bigger economically. President Trump’s remarks on the meeting are a testimony of this, he said.
Bilawal said that the Pakistan’s government policy has strengthened us during visit, and no one can refute us when we talk of peace before the world. It is possible for us to engage the world and compel India to let go of its redundant policies and head towards peace, he said.
He said that there is another front on which the people of Pakistan have been fighting, and that is the economic front.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025