"Either our water or their blood will flow": Bilawal Bhutto Zardari's fiery warning to India amid water treaty crisis

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has delivered a sharp warning to India following New Delhi’s recent suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, a move made in response to the deadly terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir.

Addressing a charged public rally on Friday, Bhutto-Zardari asserted Pakistan’s claim over the Indus River, declaring, “The Indus belongs to us and it always will. Either our water will flow through it—or their blood will.”

The statement came amid escalating tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors after India took a series of retaliatory measures. These included suspending the landmark 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, downgrading diplomatic ties, expelling Pakistani military attachés, and closing the Attari land transit route.

India’s actions follow the Pahalgam attack that killed 26 civilians, many of whom were tourists. The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy group allegedly linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), claimed responsibility. Indian officials have pointed to the incident as another instance of cross-border terrorism originating from Pakistan.

Bhutto-Zardari, however, accused India of using Pakistan as a scapegoat to mask internal intelligence failures and security lapses. His comments have added to the rhetoric fueling rising hostility between the two countries.

In response to India’s treaty suspension, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif convened an emergency meeting with senior cabinet members, including Bhutto-Zardari. Government officials are also re-evaluating the controversial canals development project as part of broader strategic water management discussions.