Bilawal says India's decision to suspend IWT an attack on Indus Valley Civilisation
Speaking at a ceremony on the concluding day of the annual three-day festival at the shrine of Sindhi saint Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai on Monday (August 11, 2025), Mr. Bilawal also said Pakistan always advocates peace, but if India forces it into war, the nation will not back down.
'If war is waged, then from the land of Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai we will send a message to the Modi government that we do not retreat, we do not bow down, and if you dare think about launching an attack on the Indus River, then the people of every province of Pakistan will be ready to confront you,' he said.
A day after the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, India took a series of punitive measures against Pakistan that included putting the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 in 'abeyance'.
Mr. Bilawal, who is also Chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), said that the Indus River is not only the country's sole major water resource but is also deeply linked to the entire history of its people. 'The Indus Civilisation is connected to this river,' he said, adding that an attack on the Indus River is an 'attack on our civilisation, our history, and our culture,' he said.
Talking about his efforts to present Pakistan's stance before the world, Mr. Bilawal said Pakistan's voice was raised across the globe against the threats to cut off the water supply to 200 million people.
Addressing the public, Mr. Bilawal said the people of Pakistan have enough strength to confront the enemy and take back the six rivers from them.
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First Post
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Does Pakistan know why India rejects Indus Water Treaty dispute resolution mechanism?
India has rejected the Permanent Court of Arbitration's role in the Indus Waters Treaty dispute, citing procedural flaws in the World Bank's 2022 decision, as Pakistan escalates rhetoric over water rights. Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said that the 'enemy can't snatch even a single drop of water' as he joined the country's military leadership in ramping up rhetoric over the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT). His statement came after India reiterated its decision to hold the treaty's dispute resolution process in abeyance, citing procedural objections that Islamabad has long ignored. At the heart of the disagreement lies India's refusal to recognise the jurisdiction of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in the ongoing dispute. The Hague-based tribunal has reportedly ruled that India must 'let flow' the waters of the Western Rivers the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab for Pakistan's unrestricted use under the treaty. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD New Delhi has consistently maintained that it never accepted the World Bank's 2022 decision to simultaneously activate two parallel processes, a neutral expert mechanism and at Pakistan's insistence, the Court of Arbitration to adjudicate the same set of technical objections. India argued that such concurrent proceedings pose both practical and legal challenges and formally sought a reconsideration of the treaty's dispute settlement provisions. Despite acknowledging India's concerns, the World Bank in October 2022 appointed both a neutral expert and a Court of Arbitration. This, officials in New Delhi say, undermines the procedural safeguards intended by the 1960 treaty and sets a precedent that could weaken the framework for resolving future differences. With Pakistan signalling it will press ahead with its case at the PCA and India refusing to participate in its proceedings, the stalemate over the IWT's dispute resolution mechanism appears far from over and now, political posturing on both sides threatens to overshadow the complex legal issues at its core.
Economic Times
2 hours ago
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India's hold on Pakistan begins to hurt where it matters
India put the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) with Pakistan, signed in 1960, in abeyance following the Pahalgam terrorist attack in April, arguing Pakistan violated the treaty through unrelenting cross-border terrorism. Months after the action, India's hold on Pakistan has begun to hurt which is evident from incendiary statements by several Pakistani leaders. Speaking at a private dinner in Tampa, Florida, where he had gone to attend an American military function, a few days ago, Pakistan's army chief Asim Munir threatened India that his country would target dams with missiles, as per media reports. Munir told members of the Pakistani diaspora, 'We will wait for India to build a dam, and when it does so, phir 10 missile sey faarigh kar dengey [we will destroy it with 10 missiles].' 'The Indus river is not the Indians' family property. Humein missilon ki kami nahin hai, al-Hamdulillah [we have no shortage of missiles, Praise be to God],' he said. Munir also threatened India with nuclear strike. After Munir's comments, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday warned that any attempt to block water flow into Pakistan would be a violation of the IWT and met with a 'decisive response.' Speaking at an event in Islamabad, Sharif declared, 'The enemy cannot snatch even a single drop of water from Pakistan. You threatened to stop our water—if you try, Pakistan will teach you a lesson you will never forget.' Last month, former Pakistan foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who is the chairman of Pakistan Peoples Party, warned India over its unilateral suspension of the IWT. Speaking during the budget session of the National Assembly, said, 'India has two options: share water fairly, or we will take it from all six rivers.' Also Read | 'Enemy can't snatch even single drop of water': After Munir, Pak PM Shehbaz Sharif threatens India on Indus treaty India rejects international court jurisdictionPakistan has welcomed an international court's ruling interpreting design criteria for new run-of-river hydropower projects on the Western Rivers (Chenab, Jhelum and Indus), to be built by India, saying it vindicates its position on the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), which India put in abeyance after the Pahalgam attack. India, however, has never recognised the Permanent Court of Arbitration, which reportedly ruled that India must "let flow" the waters of the Western Rivers for Pakistan's unrestricted use. India has instead focused on the neutral expert mechanism."The specified exceptions for generation of hydro-electric plants must conform strictly to the requirements laid down in the treaty, rather than to what India might consider an 'ideal' or 'best practices' approach," Pakistan's foreign office said Monday's ruling, Pakistan reiterated its commitment to implementing IWT and urged India to resume functioning of the same. India maintains IWT will remain in abeyance until Pakistan takes action against cross-border terrorism. Also Read | After Asim Munir's nuclear rant, Bilawal Bhutto threatens Pakistan could 'take back six rivers' from India Why are Pak leaders threatening India?Possibly, Pakistan has realised India's suspension of the IWT is not going to be reverted, which poses dire medium- and long-term challenges to the country. Under normal IWT operations, India shared vital water-flow data and alerted Pakistan to seasonal variations and flood risks. Now, India has halted such data sharing, severely impairing Pakistan's ability to anticipate floods or droughts. India no longer needs to follow design and operational restrictions for projects on the western rivers—Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab—meaning it can proceed unilaterally with dam construction and modifications. This includes reservoir flushing to clear sediment at projects like Kishanganga, potentially affecting downstream short-term capability is limited due to India's existing infrastructure, long-term construction of dams and reservoirs could significantly alter water availability for Pakistan in dry relies on Indus waters for 80–90% of its irrigated agriculture, which supports roughly 25% of its GDP and up to 37–45% of employment depending on the report. Also Read | 'We'll show them what's next': After Indus dam, Pak Army Chief Asim Munir now fixes target on RIL Jamnagar refinery In the long term, India could ramp up dams, storage, and diversion projects along the western rivers, consolidating significant upstream control. Pakistan, with limited storage capacity, may suffer perennial water shortages, especially in non-monsoon seasons. Domestic instability in Pakistan could intensify—impacting food security, rural livelihoods, trade competitiveness, and energy possible Pakistan has sensed India's long-term plans to restrict water flow and is alarmed at the Indian environment ministry panel has given 'in-principle' approval for diversion of over 847 hectares of reserved forest and 'jungle-jhari' land for construction of the ambitious 1,856-MW Sawalkot hydroelectric project in Ramban district of Jammu & Kashmir, TOI reported last month. Certain key green provisions were set aside for the purpose, keeping in view national interests. Though the final approval will be subject to grant of environment clearance for the project by the UT govt, the move shows the intent to swiftly take up the dam's construction for leveraging Chenab river's potential following suspension of the IWT. The Sawalkot hydroelectric project (HEP) is a major hydropower initiative, intended to harness the potential of the Chenab — one of the western rivers along with Indus and Jhelum whose waters currently flow unchecked to Pakistan despite India's right to use it for non-consumptive purposes, including hydro-power is also set to revive the long-stalled Tulbul Navigation Project in Jammu & Kashmir, PTI has reported recently, based on information from sources. A detailed project report for Tulbul is being prepared and is expected to take about a year to complete. This move, which comes right after the IWT suspension, underscores a significant policy shift: leveraging water resources as a means of strategic assertion. The work was restarted in 2010, with the then irrigation minister of J&K, Taj Mohideen, stating that Article 9 of IWT permitted such projects meant for non-consumptive use. In 2012, unidentified terrorists lobbed a grenade towards a bund raised by the workers for the project. Under the IWT, India was allocated the eastern rivers (Ravi, Beas and Sutlej), while the western rivers (Indus, Jhelum and Chenab) were allocated to Pakistan, with limited rights for India. India is allowed to use water from the western rivers for non-consumptive purposes like navigation, power generation and limited storage. The Tulbul Project aligns with these permissible uses. With the IWT in abeyance, there can't be any challenge to this project. After the Uri Terror Attack in 2016, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said "blood and water cannot flow together" during a high-level review meeting of the IWT. This was a clear signal that India might review or alter its commitment to the IWT in response to Pakistan's failure to curb cross-border terrorism. Nearly a decade later, Modi's indication has become a reality. India's revival of plans to build long-term projects on several rivers suggests it is not going to revert its decision. It also drives home the message in Pakistan that the suspension of the IWT was not a merely tactical move but a long-term strategic shift. Also, India's rejection of international court jurisdiction over IWT underlines this shift. That's what is bothering Pakistan's top leaders.
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2 hours ago
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Owaisi dismisses Pak PM's 'threats' on Indus Water Treaty, says it won't impact India
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