On Bilawal Bhutto's ‘Indus is ours’ and ‘blood’ threat, Union Minister's ‘jump in it’ retort

Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri hit out at former Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari after the latter warned India over the Indus Waters Treaty, saying that blood would flow in the Indus rivers if its water is stopped.

Reacting to Bilawal Bhutto's remarks, Hardeep Singh Puri said, “I heard his statement…Tell him to jump somewhere in water... Well, how will he jump in it when there will be no water... Do not dignify such statements... They will get to understand that...”

Puri further described Pakistan as a nation facing a“terminal decline,” accusing it of repeatedly using terrorism as a tool of state policy.

Puri's comments came after Bhutto-Zardari reportedly said, “The Indus is ours and will remain ours - either our water will flow through it, or their blood."

Zardari's statement came days after India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan after at least 26 people were killed in the Pahalgam terror attack. The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of the banned Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, claimed responsibility for the attack.

Meanwhile, Delhi minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa also slammed Pakistan’s former foreign minister and said on Saturday that Pakistanis don't have the guts to shed blood.

“Then drown in it [Indus river]…They don't have the guts to shed blood. They are crying for water and talk about shedding blood. They should be ashamed,” news agency ANI quoted Sirsa as saying.

Warning Pakistan officials, Sirsa said, "Those who were threatening outside the embassy, you will be identified one by one. Be careful. An apocalypse is hovering over your head.”

Also Read: Indus Waters Treaty Suspended: Five ways it empowers India, what it means for Pakistan’s crippling economy

‘Pak has a long history of betrayel’: Assam CM

Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said that Pakistan has a “long and bloody history of betrayal” and warned that “no one can deter India from taking decisive revenge” for the Pahalgam terror attack

Reasserting India’s firm stance on national security, Sarma added, “Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, India will hunt down terror and destroy terror infrastructure wherever it exists. India’s national security is non-negotiable.”

Sharing a video clip where Bilawal Bhutto is seen speaking against India following its withdrawal from the Indus Waters Treaty, Sarma said on X, “The State of Pakistan has a long and bloody history of betrayal -- it took the lives of Bilawal Bhutto's grandfather and mother. It is a tragedy that an unworthy son today chooses to speak in a manner that dishonours even their sacrifice.”

‘Nehru’s misplaced obsession': Here's what Sarma said on Indus Water Treaty

In a post on X, Sarma said, “Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru’s signing of the Indus Waters Treaty in 1960 stands as one of the greatest strategic blunders in India’s history. Despite India’s natural upper riparian advantage, Nehru, under immense pressure from the then American administration and the World Bank, handed away over 80% of the Indus basin waters to Pakistan — gifting full control over the mighty Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab rivers, while restricting India to the smaller eastern rivers (Ravi, Beas, Sutlej). 

Pakistan received a staggering 135 million acre-feet (MAF) of water annually, while India was left with just 33 MAF. Worse, India’s rights over the western rivers were limited to minor irrigation and run-of-the-river hydro projects without meaningful storage, permanently compromising the water needs of Punjab, Haryana, and Jammu & Kashmir. Nehru’s misplaced obsession with international approval came at the cost of India’s long-term national interest, weakening India’s strategic and agricultural strength in its own land.”

Also Read: ‘Our water...or their blood’: Former Pakistan minister Bilawal Bhutto warns India over Indus Waters Treaty

“Today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has delivered a historic body blow to this injustice. By initiating India’s withdrawal from the treaty, Modi has reclaimed India’s sovereign rights over its rivers, sending a clear message that India will no longer reward terror and hostility with appeasement. This bold move strikes at the heart of Pakistan’s fragile economy, where over 75% of agriculture depends on Indus waters, and corrects a historic betrayal that had shackled India’s rightful control for over six decades. Modi’s action marks the rise of a new, assertive India — determined to defend its interests without apology,” he added.

Also Read: What is Indus Water Treaty that Modi govt is cancelling with Pakistan? How will it hurt our neighbour?

Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar has slammed Bilawal Bhutto Zardari for his anti-India remarks over the Indus Water Treaty, reminding him that India "once broke Pakistan in two pieces."

"We have heard many such threats for many years. Bilawal Bhutto might have forgotten history. India once broke Pakistan into two pieces, and he should remember that," Majumdar said on Saturday.

BJP leader Dilip Ghosh on PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s remarks said, “Forget about the talk of blood because blood is flowing in Pakistan. He is still the same child as he was before. Speaking like this is an old habit of Pakistan.”

Pahalgam terrorist attack

Following the terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 people, the Central government announced several diplomatic measures, such as closing the Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Attari, suspending the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) for Pakistani nationals, giving them 40 hours to return to their country, and reducing the number of officers in the High Commissions on both sides.

India also halted the Indus Waters Treaty signed in 1960 in the wake of the Pahalgam attack.