Bilawal warns of ‘hybrid warfare’ over water amid Indus treaty violations

May 22, 2025 (MLN): The politicisation of water and violations of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) have been described as a form of “hybrid warfare,” with warnings that continued actions of this nature could lead future generations into conflict over water resources.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari made this statement while addressing the media, just days after Pakistan and India agreed to a ceasefire following intense drone and missile exchanges.

He cautioned that India’s push for a so-called “new normal” in cross-border tensions threatened regional peace and stability, particularly between two nuclear-armed neighbours, as per the press release issued.

He criticised Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks about “Operation Sindoor,” which Modi described as a new benchmark, asserting that such narratives only heighten tensions.

Bilawal emphasized that Pakistan had responded with restraint and acted solely in self-defence, a stance he said was recognised by the international community as responsible.

“India’s aggressive ‘new normal’ is neither sustainable nor in its own interest,” he said. “This mindset, driven by hate and division, only fuels further instability.”

Bilawal is set to lead a high-level delegation on behalf of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to key global capitals, where they will brief foreign governments, parliaments, and media on Pakistan’s perspective and India’s recent actions.

He stressed that lasting peace in South Asia is unachievable without addressing critical issues such as the Jammu and Kashmir conflict, cross-border terrorism, and India’s alleged weaponisation of water.

Climate Minister Musadik Malik, part of the delegation, accused India of targeting civilians and crafting a false narrative of military superiority. “Their Rafale jets fell like birds,” he remarked, referencing India’s reported military losses.

Former Foreign Minister Khurram Dastgir, also in the delegation, said India’s current stance reflects an anti-Muslim and anti-Pakistan agenda.

“This is not the behaviour of a responsible state,” he stated.

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