Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has warned that the prospect of a nuclear conflict between Pakistan and India is a “reality” if New Delhi carries out its threats to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), calling such actions “water terrorism” and an act of war that must be withdrawn immediately.
He was referring to India’s unilateral suspension of the IWT after the April 22 militant attack in the Pahalgam area of the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
“India and Pakistan are bound by the terms of IWT… India will have to take back and withdraw its threat,” he said while addressing a press conference at the Pakistan High Commission at the conclusion of his two days tour of London.
He warned that Pakistan may take more aggressive steps if India constructs new canals or dams on the three rivers within its territory. “Were they to act on it, Pakistan has been very clear: we’d consider that an act of war,” he added.
Bilawal, head of the parliamentary delegation that is touring world capitals to rally support for Pakistan following recent confrontation with India, said that the Pakistan military had made the whole nation proud.
“We are proud that the Pakistan army won the war against India under the leadership of Field Marshal Asim Munir. His promotion is his recognition. Pakistan Army proved that it can beat India, both at the military and the diplomatic front.
“We have shown and established our military strength. India’s war was based on lies and its whole narrative was based on falsehood. Now the whole world recognises this fact,” he added.
Furthermore, the PPP chief said that India was involved in transnational repression. He said that the Canadian and Western intelligence services, including the US government, had evidence that India was involved in terrorism on Western soil.
He mentioned the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada and an assassination attempt on Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) leader, on US soil.
Bilawal said that after the Pahalgaam attack, the western world didn’t side with India because it knows that India is involved in terrorism beyond its border, its neighbourhood and the region and was striking inside the western countries too.
He condemned Indian foreign minister Jaishankar for threatening to “strike deep inside Pakistan”. “Jaishankar speaks like a warmonger and not a diplomat. The real problem is extremism in the Indian government. It’s ironic that Modi is running a government whose reputation speaks for itself,” he added.
“Indian role in targeting Sikhs stands exposed before the world. India is a terrorist state, threatening missile strikes on Pakistan without any proof. It’s not a display of strength but a dangerous sign of regional instability, the word must ask who is war mongering here,” he added.
To this day, Bilawal said, India has been unable to share any identity of the so-called terrorists involved in the Pahalgam attack. “The truth is India knows Pakistan has nothing to do with this attack, this is what they are hiding from its people. The Pahalgam attack was India’s intelligence failure. India has gone mad and is pursuing its strategy of war mongering but it will fail.”
He also welcomed President Donald Trump’s offer to media between India and Pakistan. He said that Pakistan was thankful to the US govt’s pragmatic approach and its offer to mediate. “India wants to sabotage Trump’s peace efforts,” he said.
Bilawal thanked President Trump for internationalising the issue of occupied Kashmir. “Kashmir is not a bilateral issue but an international issue and India is forced to address it. India accepts the issue has gone global.”
He said Pakistan had previously presented a full dossier of Indian involvement in terrorism to the world and a new dossier for the international community will be presented soon to show the true face of Indian terrorism before the world.
