Either our water or your blood will flow in Indus, Bilawal warns Modi

SUKKUR/KARACHI: Chairman Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari Friday said just as the PPP did not allow a controversial canal project without consensus of all the federating units, the people of all the four provinces will stand united and give a resounding response to the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s aggression on the Indus River. Condemning India’s unilateral decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), he issued a stern warning to New Delhi, saying, “The Indus is ours and will remain ours — either our water will flow through it, or their blood.”

Addressing a massive public gathering here, he congratulated the people and said it was the success of their peaceful struggle that the federal government had decided that no canal will be built on the Indus without consensus in the Council of Common Interests (CCI).

He further said an agreement had been reached between the PPP and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN), bearing the signatures of leaders from both parties.

“It is now the official policy of the Government of Pakistan that no new canals will be built without mutual consent of all provinces.”

He paid tribute to the PPP workers for their struggle against the controversial project, saying it would not have been possible had the Jiyalas not taken to the field. “I had promised that we would protect Sindh — and today, Sindh has been safeguarded from these threats. This is your victory,” he added.

Shedding light on his recent meeting with the prime minister and the matters agreed upon during the discussions, he pointed out that it had been decided that the federal government would put the project before the CCI.

He pointed out that the CCI comprised representatives from the federation as well as all provinces, and prior to this agreement, decisions on the construction of new canals could have been taken based on majority votes, even without the consent of the people.

“But we are grateful to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who listened to your (the people’s) concerns, and now the majority parties in the Council — the PMLN and PPP — have agreed that no new canal will be constructed without your consent,” he said, adding that the joint declaration stated that the federal government had agreed to immediately convene a meeting of the CCI, and any project lacking consensus will be referred back to the ministries concerned.

He emphasised that the agreement made with him, endorsed by the prime minister and the federal government, had once again clearly affirmed that all the provinces had rightful claims over water, and that both the 1991 Water Accord and 2018 Water Policy were based on mutual consensus.

Addressing the nation, Bilawal said the Indus was once again under attack — this time by India.

He said a terrorist incident took place in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJ&K), which New Delhi falsely blamed on Pakistan.

He reiterated that Pakistan strongly condemned terrorism, being the country most affected by it.

He said in an attempt to hide his own failures, Modi leveled false accusations against Pakistan concerning the incident in IIOJ&K, and subsequently announced the unilateral suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty.

He said just as his party raised its voice for the Indus in the streets and cities across the country and convinced the federal government not to proceed with new canals, “We will now struggle once again.”

“The people of Pakistan are brave — we will stand up to India with full force, and our armed forces will give a befitting response at the borders.”

He further said it was unacceptable for India to simply decide one day it no longer recognized the Indus Waters Treaty and expected that to become reality.

“Such a decision will neither be accepted at the international level nor by the people of Pakistan.”

He urged the nation to unite in this difficult time and give a befitting response to India, which currently has set its eyes maliciously on the Indus.

He said the struggle to protect the river will continue until India withdraws its unilateral decision.

He affirmed that the PPP stood with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on the issue of India.

He also announced that the PPP will hold a grand public gathering in Mirpurkhas on May 1.

Prior to his address, PPP Sindh President Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, former chief minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah, and other party leaders also addressed the gathering.

Salis bin Perwaiz from Karachi adds: meanwhile, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah Friday urged the protesters to stop agitation and unblock roads, as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had cancelled the canals project.

Chairing a media briefing at the Chief Minister House here, he said demanding a notification for cancellation of the project was misleading people, as seven out of eight members of CCI had recommended that the project be scrapped.

Murad said after the prime minister’s joint press conference with the PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, in which he firmly announced the cancellation of project, the protesters should cease their agitation and unblock the roads, as it was affecting the daily life.

Murad said there were two types of protesters against the canals: those who genuinely opposed the project [canals] as being against the interests of the province, and others attempting to gain political mileage by encroaching on the Pakistan People’s Party’s (PPP) public mandate and blocking the roads, hindering daily life.

At the outset of his media address, the chief minister strongly condemned India’s aggressive stance and said Pakistan was capable of responding decisively to the Indian aggression.

“Modi is playing to galleries; unstatesmanlike announced to scrap water treaty,” he said.

He said in response to India’s actions, the National Security Committee (NSC) had affirmed that Pakistan was capable of responding decisively to the Indian aggression.

The NSC has decided to expel the Indian army’s attaché from Pakistan, close the borders, and block airways for Indian airlines. The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the people of Pakistan are united in support of the NSC’s decisions, he added.

“If any harm comes to this country, the PPP will stand shoulder to shoulder, with full force, with the supreme commander of our armed forces - the president of Pakistan – our federal government, and our armed forces,” the CM said, adding, “And the enemy should know that we are fully capable of countering and defeating the propaganda being spread through the media. The entire nation stands united against this aggression from India.”

Talking about the Indus Water Treaty, the chief minister said, “India decided to hold it [Indus Water Treaty] in abeyance, which was not within its power, and the announcement was just for the consumption of Indian people.

He [Modi] showed them that he could go to such an extent.

“I think Indian media is very weak. Had such an announcement been made here in the Pakistani media, it would have been questioned whom it was befooling. “It is written in the agreement that you cannot withdraw it unilaterally. But the Indian media is not as alive as is of Pakistan. The Indian media is not free; that’s why they have bought this lame announcement, which is not within their purview.”

Flanked by ministers Sharjeel Inam Memon and Jam Khan Shoro, Murad Ali Shah reiterated that no practical work had been undertaken on the canal project rather only a model had been developed to attract investment.

“The project has not received approval from any competent forum. We challenged it in the Council of Common Interests (CCI) and the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec). I also raised this issue clearly on the floor of the assembly. In June 2024, we were bound to address this situation head-on when we challenged the Irsa certificate in the CCI,” he added.

Regarding the Cholistan Canal project, Shah revealed that on January 17, 2024, the caretaker Punjab government had requested Irsa to issue a water availability certificate, which was granted despite Sindh’s opposition.

“The PPP government in Sindh challenged this decision in June 2024,” he noted, adding that any province opposing an Irsa decision had the right to challenge it before the CCI.

“If the CCI decides to withdraw the certificate, the project becomes automatically nullified,” he said.

Referring to a meeting chaired by President Asif Zardari on July 8, 2024, Murad Ali Shah clarified that only the interior minister from the federal government attended the session; no representative from the Ministry of Water & Power, Irsa, or other relevant authorities was present. “The president does not have the authority to approve development projects. Although a tweet announced the project’s approval, communication on the matter went silent soon after,” he explained.

He added, “Once we challenged it, the process could not proceed,” asserting that had the CCI ruled in favour of the project, it would have been taken to a joint session of Parliament. The chief minister clarified that while peaceful protests were acceptable, public disruptions were not. He asked the protests not to block roads or hinder daily life. He referenced a recent meeting in Islamabad with Rana Sanaullah, Ahsan Iqbal, Ahad Cheema, and the attorney general during which the Sindh delegation successfully convinced the federal authorities that the project was unfeasible.

Following this, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari held a joint media talk where they officially announced the project’s cancellation.

The chief minister noted that the prime minister had convened a CCI meeting on May 2, assuring that the issue of water unavailability would be highlighted during discussions.

Shah emphasized, “No canal project can be initiated without inter-provincial consensus.”

Murad explained that the CCI comprised eight members, with five from the PMLN and two from the PPP (the CMs of Sindh and Balochistan), indicating that the majority supported shelving the project.

“The matter will be formally referred back to the CCI,” he said, reiterating that the prime minister had no precedent for issuing a notification with his signature, countering critics who questioned the official nature of the announcement.

In response to a question, Shah reiterated that Sindh would never support decisions that benefit one province at the expense of another.

“While Punjab may see advantages, lower riparian provinces like Sindh would suffer, and we will vigorously resist such actions.”

Addressing the concerns raised by JUIF and the legal community, the chief minister clarified that the prime minister could not directly withdraw any item from the Council of Common Interests (CCI), as some protestors had proposed. Instead, such matters are either withdrawn or approved through a voting process.

The PPP and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) members hold the majority in the CCI, and through a majority decision, the canal projects will be sent back to the Indus River System Authority (Irsa), as per the prime minister’s commitment, which was reflected in their press statement issued following the meeting between Shehbaz and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in Islamabad on Thursday.

The chief minister again called on the protestors to clear roads and restore normalcy, questioning the political motivations behind the ongoing demonstrations.

“Given India’s hostile actions, we must stand united rather than fall into divisive politics,” he stated.

The PPP chairman has appointed MNA Khursheed Shah and Nisar Khuhro to engage with the protestors.

“The PPP opposed this project long before others did, and it was due to our efforts that it was scrapped,” he remarked.

Shah also reminded the public that the controversial 1991 Water Accord was signed when the PPP was not in power. He referenced Chobara Project, which was taken up in 2021 during the PTI government, asserting that the Sindh government opposed it, resulting in the project not moving forward. He mentioned that the PTI members in the Sindh Assembly had supported the provincial government’s resolution against the Chobara Project in 2021, which he commended. Regarding the Greater Thal Canal, Shah noted that although it was constructed before 2008, the extension has been challenged and halted. “Ironically, those blocking the roads today were part of the government when that project was approved.”

He concluded by stating that the PPP never compromised on Sindh’s water rights, from the time of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto to President Asif Ali Zardari. “The Council of Common Interests (CCI) remains the only legal forum for such decisions — no unilateral action will be accepted.”