The president of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, transmitted a strong and provocative message to India on Saturday, warning that any attempt to undermine the rights of Pakistan on the river will respond to fierce resistance.
Addressing a large gathering in Sukkur, Bilawal said that the Indus belongs to Pakistan and will remain so, despite New Delhi’s unilateral movements. “Let Moda clearly hear this-the Indus is ours, and it will remain ours. Either our water will flow or their blood desire,” he warned, standing on the banks of the historic river.
The president of the PPP strongly condemned India’s decision to suspend the Industry Water Treaty following accusations against Pakistan during the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam.
He accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of having leveled “false and baseless” allegations to cover internal failures and induce the Indian public. “Whenever there are cashmere troubles, India criticizes Pakistan for distracting its own weaknesses,” said Bilawal.
He stressed that the unilateral withdrawal from India from the Indus Water Treaty, a binding international agreement, would not be recognized in the world or by the people of Pakistan.
“Modi’s efforts to take control of the industrial will fail. We are the legitimate heirs and defenders of the Sindhu (Indus), and we will protect it at all costs,” he said.
Bilawal has reaffirmed that the armed forces of Pakistan are fully ready to provide a strong response to any Indian aggression. “We are going to face India courageously, and our forces will give them an appropriate response to the borders,” he said.
He urged Pakistan people to unite to defend the rights of the water and the sovereignty of the country. “The four provinces must be held together to provide a strong and united response to the provocations of Modi,” he said, calling on the Pakistani to act as an ambassadors of the industrial river and to protect their heritage.
“This is a victory for peaceful and democratic struggle,” added Bilawal. “We will not allow anyone – inside or outside Pakistan – to steal our water or to divide our nation.”
No new channels without provincial consensus
Bilawal praised the recent consensus between PPP and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) to block any new channel construction projects without the total consent of all provinces. “It is now an established policy-no new channel will be built without the approval of all the provinces and the public,” he said.
He stressed that the federal government, responding to public objections, had agreed that water projects without consensus would have returned to the authorities concerned. “Since July, we have raised objections to the proposed channel projects, and we will continue to protect the Sindh water rights,” he said.
The President of the PPP also noted that the Common Interest Council (CCI) would soon meet to officially approve this policy, ensuring that the rights of all the provinces under the 1991 water agreement and the 2018 water policy are respected. He thanked Prime Minister Shehbaz for listening to the concerns raised by Sindh and other stakeholders.
