Bilawal invokes Pakistan's Nuclear Doctrine amid Indus Waters Treaty row

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has escalated rhetoric over the ongoing Indus Waters Treaty dispute with India by invoking Pakistan's nuclear doctrine. Speaking at an international seminar, Bilawal said that any attempt to restrict Pakistan's access to the Indus river system should be treated as a threat to the country's national survival, arguing that Pakistan's nuclear doctrine includes scenarios involving threats to its economy and waterways.

Bilawal accused India of "weaponising water" after New Delhi suspended the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty following the 2025 Pahalgam terror attack. He maintained that Pakistan seeks "peace with dignity, not submission," but warned that any move to undermine Pakistan's water rights would invite a united national response. Indian authorities have maintained that the treaty will remain in abeyance until Pakistan takes credible and irreversible action against cross-border terrorism.

The latest remarks have further heightened tensions between the two neighbours, with the water-sharing agreement emerging as a key point of contention in bilateral relations. The Indus Waters Treaty, brokered by the World Bank in 1960, has survived several wars but now faces one of its most serious challenges.