Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari Slams Indus Water Treaty Suspension as “Crime Against Humanity”

In a powerful address to Pakistan’s National Assembly on May 6, 2025, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari labeled India’s suspension of the Indus Water Treaty as a “crime against humanity.” The fiery speech came in response to India’s accusations against Pakistan over the recent Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 people and was dismissed by Islamabad as a “false flag operation.”

Bhutto-Zardari accused India of exploiting the tragedy to jeopardize Pakistan’s food security and livelihoods by suspending the 1960 treaty, a critical agreement governing the sharing of six Himalayan rivers. “The Indus Water Treaty is a lifeline for millions,” he said, warning that weaponizing water is “madness” and a “transgression against humanity and nature.” He urged the international community to intervene, emphasizing that such actions threaten regional stability.

The PPP chairman rejected India’s narrative, asserting that Pakistan is a victim of terrorism, not its exporter. “We have buried schoolchildren and soldiers in our war against terror,” he said, contrasting Pakistan’s sacrifices with what he described as India’s “state-sponsored terror” in Indian-occupied Kashmir. He accused New Delhi of hypocrisy, citing daily violations in Kashmir and alleging Indian involvement in terrorism across Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Canada.

Bhutto-Zardari also referenced the 2016 arrest of Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav in Balochistan to challenge India’s victimhood narrative. He questioned India’s refusal to accept Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s offer for an independent investigation into the Pahalgam incident, suggesting that “the trail of terror leads not to Islamabad but to New Delhi.”

Calling for justice and political solutions to combat terrorism, he stressed that “tanks and bullets” cannot resolve the issue. He urged India to allow Kashmiris to vote and express dissent rather than face suppression. Bhutto-Zardari concluded by warning that failure to address terrorism collaboratively would condemn future generations to instability, reiterating that suspending the treaty is an act against the Earth itself.