Chairman of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said on Monday that Pakistan will go to war if India does not abide by the Indus Water Treaty (IWT), which New Delhi put in “abeyance” following the April 22 attack in Pahalgam in held Kashmir.
“If India does not abide by the Indus Water Treaty and attempts to build canals and dams [on Pakistan’s share of water], then Pakistan will go to war,” he said, speaking at the National Assembly session, adding, “We will secure the waters of all six rivers for our nation.”
Bhutto’s warning came days after Indian Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that New Delhi will never restore the IWT with Islamabad, and the water flowing to Pakistan will be diverted for internal use.
In an interview with the Times of India on Saturday, the Indian home minister said, “No, it [IWT] will never be restored,” adding, “We will take water that was flowing to Pakistan to Rajasthan by constructing a canal. Pakistan will be starved of water that it has been getting unjustifiably.”
According to the treaty, three eastern rivers, Sutlej, Beas and Ravi, were awarded to India, while Pakistan received the three Western rivers, Indus, Chenab and Jhelum, which account for the majority (almost 80 percent) of the shared basin’s water.
Bhutto, citing the global silence on Israeli aggression against neighbouring Iran, warned that “if we don’t speak out for Iranians, there will be no one left when they come for us.”
“First, they came for the Palestinians, but the world did not speak out because they weren’t Palestinian. Then they came for the Lebanese, but we did not speak out because we were not Lebanese. And then they came for the Yemenis, but we did not speak out because we’re not from Yemen,” Bilawal highlighted.
“Now, they’ve come for Iran. If we do not speak out, there will be no one left when they come for us. The Israeli regime’s aggression across the region must be stopped,” he added.
Chairman PPP’s key remarks followed Israel’s illegitimate attacks on Iran on June 13. Israel said that it wanted to remove any chance of Tehran developing nuclear weapons. Israel itself is widely assumed to have nuclear weapons, which it neither confirms nor denies.
Iran claims its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes only. Iranian officials have repeatedly said they do not plan to develop nuclear weapons but will pursue their right to nuclear energy and research.
The tension further intensified after the US carried out attacks in Iran’s three nuclear sites, including Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, directly entering into the conflict. The illegitimate attack has Iran vowing revenge.