Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri today delivered a scathing response to Pakistan Peoples Party leader Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari's inflammatory remarks about India's suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, sarcastically suggesting the Pakistani leader "go jump in the water" if he's so concerned about water flows.
The sharp exchange came after Bhutto-Zardari's dramatic threat at a Friday rally in Sukkur: "The Indus is ours and will remain ours - either our water will flow through it, or their blood."
"Usne kaha pani nahi milega toh khoon bahayega, toh usko bolo ja ke chalang mar de... pani nahi milega toh chalang bhi kaha marega," Puri retorted, dismissing the statement as "bewakoofi" (foolishness).
The verbal sparring follows India's decision to suspend the 1960 water-sharing pact after the Pahalgam terror attack, part of a five-point sanctions package against Pakistan announced Wednesday. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri confirmed the move following a CCS meeting chaired by PM Modi, marking a significant escalation in bilateral tensions.
Security analysts note the treaty's suspension could cripple Pakistan's agriculture, with the World Bank-brokered agreement currently providing Islamabad 80% of the Indus basin's waters. Bhutto-Zardari's fiery rhetoric appears aimed at domestic audiences ahead of elections, but has been met with derision in Delhi.
"When you can't counter logic, you resort to threats," a senior MEA official told reporters, speaking on condition of anonymity. "But blood won't make crops grow."
