War only option if India blocks Pakistan's water, says Bilawal

• India involved in supporting terror activities inside Pakistan: Bilawal.
• Bilawal says such actions pose an existential threat to Pakistan
• "We never advocated for war as response to terrorism."
  

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has warned that if India attempts to block Pakistan’s water, then war would remain the only option left for the country.

"Such actions pose an existential threat to Pakistan... Water is our lifeline, and we will never relinquish our rightful share under any circumstances,” he said during an interview with a German news outlet, DW Urdu.

He was referring to India's unilateral suspension of the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) after the April 22 attack in the Pahalgam area of the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

New Delhi linked Islamabad to the attack without providing any evidence and took a flurry of punitive measures to downgrade ties, including suspending the IWT, revoking visas of Pakistanis, and closing the Wagah-Attari border crossing, among others.

Islamabad, in response, ordered the expulsion of Indian diplomats and military advisers, cancelling visas for Indian nationals, with the exception of Sikh pilgrims, and closing the main border crossing from its side. Islamabad also denied its involvement in the attack and offered to take part in a credible and transparent investigation.

A high-level Pakistani Parliamentary delegation, led by Bilawal, recently wrapped up high-level peace mission to Brussels after successful visits to Washington, New York and London to debunk the Indian propaganda in the aftermath of recent conflict between the two countries.

During the interview, Bilawal termed India’s threat to stop water flow to Pakistan as a clear violation of the United Nations Charter. He stressed that if India resorts to water aggression, “Pakistan will be left with no choice but war.”

He further said that India is involved in supporting terrorist activities inside Pakistan. “Despite that, we have never advocated for war as a response to terrorism,” he said.

“We do not want war,” the PPP chief reiterated, emphasising Pakistan’s preference for peace but asserting that the country’s survival and water security are non-negotiable.

Last month, Pakistan's armed forces launched a large-scale retaliatory military action, named "Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos", and targeted several Indian military targets across multiple regions.

Pakistan downed six IAF fighter jets, including three Rafale, and dozens of drones. After at least 87 hours, the war between the two nuclear-armed nations ended on May 10 with a ceasefire agreement brokered by the United States.

According to ISPR, a total of 53 individuals, including 13 personnel of the armed forces and 40 civilians, were martyred in Indian strikes during the recent military confrontation.