Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri today delivered a blistering retort to Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari after his incendiary comments on India’s suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) following the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam.

Speaking to supporters at a rally in Sukkur, Sindh, Bhutto-Zardari had provocatively declared, "The Indus belongs to us — either our water will flow through it or their blood."
In response, Puri dismissed the threat with cutting sarcasm: "I heard his statement — tell him to find some water to jump into. But he won’t find any, because there won’t be any left. Statements like these don’t deserve attention — they will soon realize the ground realities."

Puri went on to call out Pakistan’s role in the attack, stating, "The Pahalgam massacre was undeniably a cross-border terrorist assault, orchestrated by our neighbour — and they are now even shamelessly justifying it. The era of ‘business as usual’ is over. As Prime Minister Modi has made clear, Pakistan will face severe consequences — and this is only the beginning. When terrorists snatch the right to life, it is a crime condemned across the globe. Pakistan is no longer just a rogue nation; it is a state on the verge of collapse."

He also condemned the threatening throat-slitting gesture made by Colonel Taimur Rahat, Pakistan's military envoy in London, calling it further proof of "state-sponsored terror."
"They will have to pay. If they think they can survive without the Indus Waters Treaty, I wish them luck," Puri added bluntly.

Following the Pahalgam attack, which claimed the lives of 26 people — most of them tourists — India downgraded diplomatic ties with Islamabad. Intelligence agencies have confirmed that the attackers were linked to Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba.

Pakistan, in retaliation, has suspended the Simla Agreement and other bilateral pacts, halted trade activities, and closed its airspace to Indian airlines. Islamabad also warned that any attempt by India to divert water guaranteed to Pakistan under the IWT would be treated as an "act of war."

The Simla Agreement, signed in 1972 between then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (Bilawal’s grandfather), was once hailed as a milestone in Indo-Pak relations after the 1971 war.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, addressing a military graduation ceremony in Kakul, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, offered a hollow olive branch, suggesting Pakistan was open to a "neutral, transparent and credible investigation" into the Pahalgam incident. He called for an end to the "blame game," even as Pakistan’s own actions continue to undermine regional peace.

Source: News Agencies