‘No Compromise on Indus River’: Bilawal Bhutto Warns India

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has declared that Pakistan will never compromise on the Indus Waters Treaty, accusing India of attempting to use the decades-old water-sharing agreement as a political weapon.

In an oath-taking ceremony of the newly elected Chief Minister of Gilgit Baltistan Amjad Advocate, Bilawal claimed that Pakistan will defend its water rights at any cost.

“We are not ready to make any deal over the Indus River. If necessary, we are ready to fight, but we will never compromise on the Indus Waters Treaty,” Bilawal said.

Bilawal accuses India of weaponising the Indus Waters Treaty

Bilawal claimed that the Indus Waters Treaty is a matter of national interest and cannot be negotiated away by India as it is trying to pressure Pakistan.

He also vowed Pakistan’s strong reaction against any infringement on its water rights and said that the country would remain united to safeguard the river Indus.

The PPP chairman also said that India was trying to meddle into Pakistan’s internal affairs and that New Delhi was trying to destabilise Pakistan through Afghanistan.

Pakistan united despite political differences

Talking about national unity, Bilawal said that political parties might have differences on issues related to the country but they remained united when it came to the defense of Pakistan’s sovereignty and national interest.

He had stated that the Pakistan army had inflicted a “decisive defeat” on India in the previous war and that India was yet to come to terms with it.

Gilgit-Baltistan local elections before winter

While delivering his speech, Bilawal also declared the local government elections in GB will take place before the onset of winter.

He thanked coalition partners, Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) and PML-N, for cooperating with him and said all parties shall collaborate to solve the problems in the region.

Bilawal promised to safeguard public mandate in Gilgit Baltistan, employment opportunities, and giving ownership rights to the residents of the region.

Calls for constitutional rights for GB and AJK

The PPP chairman again expressed his wishes for granting of constitutional rights to Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, adding that Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir deserve better political representation.

He expressed hope that Gilgit-Baltistan would eventually have representation in Pakistan’s National Assembly and paid tribute to the sacrifices made by the people of the region.