April 26, 2025 — In a fiery address delivered in Sukkur, Sindh, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman and former Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari issued a stern warning to India following New Delhi’s suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty. Standing beside the Indus River, Bhutto-Zardari declared, “Either water will flow in this Indus, or their blood will,” asserting Pakistan’s claim over the river and condemning India’s unilateral decision . 
India’s suspension of the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty came in the wake of the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed the lives of 26 tourists. The attack was attributed to The Resistance Front (TRF), a group believed to be linked to the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba . 
Bhutto-Zardari accused Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi of using the Pahalgam incident to divert attention from domestic issues, stating, “India has accused Pakistan of the Pahalgam incident, with Modi making false allegations to conceal his own weaknesses and deceive his people. He has unilaterally decided to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty, under which India had acknowledged that the Indus belongs to Pakistan.” 
The Indian government responded firmly to Bhutto-Zardari’s remarks. Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri dismissed the threats, stating, “I heard his statement. Tell him to jump somewhere in water. Well, how will he when there will be no water? Do not dignify such statements. They will get to understand that” . 
Tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors have escalated significantly since the Pahalgam attack. India has not only suspended the Indus Waters Treaty but also downgraded diplomatic ties, expelled Pakistani diplomats, and closed major border crossings . Pakistan, in turn, has suspended the Simla Agreement, closed its airspace to Indian flights, and expelled Indian diplomats.  
As both nations brace for potential international disputes, the situation remains volatile, with the Indus Waters Treaty—a longstanding symbol of cooperation—now at the center of a deepening crisis.