Bilawal warns of water war risk

Pakistan urges global intervention as Indus Waters Treaty faces collapse

ISLAMABAD:

The head of the Pakistan parliamentary delegation and former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari called on the international community Friday to engage with India and emphasise that military confrontation was not a solution to the Kashmir dispute or terrorism, stressing that dialogue was the only way forward.

Speaking to the European think tanks and international media representatives in Brussels, Bilawal warned that India's aggressive posture, including threats to revoke the Indus Water Treaty (IWT), could escalate tensions to dangerous levels.

"We are here to present Pakistan's stance on recent tensions with India and expose New Delhi's anti-Pakistan agenda," he said.

He emphasised that the Jammu and Kashmir dispute must be resolved in line with United Nations Security Council resolutions.

Bilawal criticised India's "new abnormal" policy of blaming Pakistan for any terrorist attack in India or Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir without evidence, leading to immediate threats of war.

He recalled that Pakistan had proposed an impartial international investigation into the recent Pahalgam incident, but India rejected the offer. He condemned India's suspension of the Indus Water Treaty, calling it a violation of international law and a "war crime" that threatens water access for 240 million Pakistanis. "If India weaponises water, we may have no choice but to retaliate, risking a full-blown water war," he warned.

Bilawal reiterated that Pakistan had shown restraint, offered dialogue, and adhered to international law, urging the same standards be applied in South Asia as in Europe. "If the world ignores this crisis, it could become a nuclear flashpoint," he cautioned.

On the Pahalgam attack, Bilawal stated that India had failed to provide evidence linking Pakistan to the incident. "To this day, India hasn't revealed the identities of the attackers or how they crossed the heavily militarised border," he said.