ISLAMABAD – Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Monday warned India that Pakistan will go to war if it does not accept the Indus Water Treaty.
Addressing the National Assembly, he said: “India has two options: either accept the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), or if it chooses not to and proceeds with the construction of dams or canals, then Pakistan will go to war and will reclaim the waters of all six rivers.”
Bilawal indirectly criticized Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi without naming him, saying, “Our region also has a cheap copy of Netanyahu. We have defeated India in the fields of war, diplomacy, and narrative.”
He added that Pakistan is fighting not only for itself but also for the benefit of the Indian people, emphasizing that peace is in the interest of both nations.
Bilawal accused India of wanting future generations to fight over water, and asserted that threatening to block Pakistan’s water is a violation of the United Nations Charter.
Referring to broader regional conflicts, he said, “First it was Lebanon, then Yemen, and now Iran. If we don’t speak out, when they come for us, there will be no one left to speak.”
He also commented on international support regarding Kashmir, saying that India can no longer claim it is an internal issue. “Even the U.S. President has spoken about mediation. The world now sees Kashmir as an international issue, and that is our success,” he added.
While speaking on the federal budget, Bilawal expressed support for the government’s proposals, thanking the prime minister, finance minister, and foreign minister for engaging the PPP during the budget process. He praised the increase in salaries and pensions, though he noted that the PPP had pushed for further increases.
Bilawal added that the party had additional demands not met in the budget, such as allocating 30% of Punjab’s PSDP share to South Punjab, and increased federal funding for Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The finance minister, he said, assured that these concerns would be addressed in the next budget cycle.
