Tensions between India and Pakistan have escalated sharply following provocative statements from Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who warned India against blocking “even one drop” of Pakistan’s water under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT).

Speaking at a ceremony in Islamabad on Tuesday, Sharif declared, “If you threaten to hold our water, you cannot snatch even one drop from Pakistan,” threatening a “lesson you will never forget” if India persists. His remarks, reported by PTI, follow similar warnings from Pakistan’s Army Chief General Asim Munir and former Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, signaling a unified front against India’s suspension of the 1960 treaty.

India placed the IWT in abeyance on April 23, 2025, a day after the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir that claimed 26 civilian lives, accusing Pakistan of supporting cross-border terrorism. The treaty, brokered by the World Bank, allocates the waters of the Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab rivers primarily to Pakistan, while India controls the Beas, Ravi, and Sutlej rivers.

India’s decision to pause the agreement, coupled with plans to build a 1,856-megawatt hydroelectric project on the Chenab River without Pakistan’s approval, has provoked strong reactions. Pakistan has repeatedly cautioned that any interference with its water supply would be considered an act of war.

Sharif’s statement echoes Bhutto-Zardari’s claim that the treaty’s suspension is an attack on Pakistan’s Indus Valley Civilisation, vowing resistance if India forces conflict. Meanwhile, General Munir, speaking to the Pakistani diaspora in Tampa, Florida, threatened to destroy any Indian dam that restricts water flow, stating, “The Indus River is not India’s family property,” according to Dawn.

Munir also issued a nuclear threat, warning that Pakistan could “take half the world down” if faced with an existential crisis, prompting sharp criticism from India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). The MEA condemned Pakistan’s “nuclear sabre-rattling” as its “stock-in-trade” and expressed regret over remarks made on the soil of a friendly third country, emphasizing India’s resolve to safeguard national security.

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India’s response to the Pahalgam attack included Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. After four days of intense cross-border drone and missile exchanges, both nations agreed to a ceasefire on May 10.

The ongoing dispute has drawn domestic reactions, with BJP leader Mithun Chakraborty responding to Bhutto-Zardari’s remarks by warning of a Brahmos missile retaliation and making a provocative claim about building a dam to unleash a “tsunami” on Pakistan, while clarifying his criticism targeted Pakistan’s establishment, not its people.

The IWT, a cornerstone of India-Pakistan water-sharing for over six decades, faces its gravest challenge. Pakistan relies on the Indus system for 80% of its irrigation, critical for 16 million hectares of farmland and its power sector. India’s rejection of the Permanent Court of Arbitration’s ruling to adhere to the treaty underscores its firm stance, raising concerns about a potential escalation in this volatile geopolitical conflict.

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