Islamabad: Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari escalated rhetoric over the Indus Waters Treaty dispute with India on Tuesday, saying any attempt to curtail Pakistan’s access to Indus waters must be treated as a national-security threat and warning that Islamabad would defend its water rights.
Speaking at an international seminar convened to highlight Pakistan’s concerns after India suspended the treaty last year, Bilawal framed the issue as more than a diplomatic or environmental matter. He invoked Pakistan’s nuclear doctrine, saying the country considers extreme scenarios that threaten its economy or waterways as potential triggers for an intense national response. “Attempts to strangle the country’s economy or restrict its waterways fall among the rare scenarios that Pakistan has said could trigger a nuclear response,” he said, adding that denial of water could be viewed as an existential assault requiring collective action.
Bilawal accused India of treating the Indus as a leverage point and rejected any suggestion Pakistan would yield on its claims. “The Indus is a lifeline of Pakistan,” he said, insisting Islamabad wanted “peace with dignity” and “dialogue under law” but would not accept submission. He warned that converting the river into a “bargaining chip” would be seen as a threat to Pakistan’s survival.
The Indus system feeds roughly 80% of Pakistan’s farmland, making the dispute a crucial domestic concern. India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty in 2025 following the Pahalgam terror attack, a move that has prompted strong responses in Pakistan. Bilawal’s remarks echo comments he made after the treaty was placed in abeyance, when he warned against any action to restrict Pakistan’s water flows.
Pakistan’s nuclear posture does not adopt a No First Use policy and has evolved from a “credible minimum deterrence” to what Islamabad terms “full-spectrum deterrence,” keeping at its disposal options to respond to threats it judges existential.