NEW DELHI (Diya TV) — India’s decision to stop water flow to Pakistan has triggered sharp warnings and war talk in Islamabad. The two countries are locked in a tense dispute over water rights under the Indus Waters Treaty. Former Pakistani foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has threatened serious action unless the water sharing deal is restored.

The water cut follows a deadly terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, that left 26 civilians dead. After the attack, India suspended its participation in the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty. The historic treaty had long governed the use of water from six rivers that flow between India and Pakistan.

Indian Home Minister Amit Shah said India will never reinstate the treaty. He announced new canal projects that will send water once shared with Pakistan into Indian states like Rajasthan. Shah called Pakistan’s past access to this water “unjust.”

Indian officials say the water cut has already reduced water flow to Pakistan by almost 20%. Pakistan’s water reservoirs have fallen to “dead levels,” and its farmers face serious losses as water runs dry.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party, condemned India’s move. In a public address, Bhutto gave India two options: return to the Indus Waters Treaty or face another war. “India has only two options,” Bhutto said. “Agree to the Indus Waters Treaty or Pakistan will wage another war.”

He went even further, promising Pakistan would seize all six rivers if water sharing is not resumed. Bhutto framed water as a national issue that cannot be compromised. “Water is a red line,” he told supporters. “We are the true custodians of the Indus civilization, and we will fight to defend it.”

Public anger has been growing inside Pakistan as water supplies shrink. Farmers say they cannot water crops without the water from India. Economists fear the water cut will hit Pakistan’s economy hard at a time of rising food prices.

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry called India’s decision illegal. In a strong statement, the ministry said India had violated international law and created a dangerous precedent. Some officials in Islamabad have already started to explore legal action through international bodies. But so far, world leaders have not taken a public stance on the issue.

The Indus Waters Treaty had survived decades of war and tension. It divided the use of six rivers that run from India into Pakistan. The World Bank brokered the treaty in 1960. Since then, both countries have honored their terms despite deep political conflicts.

But India now says the past is over. “Pakistan was receiving this water unjustly,” Amit Shah declared. “That will never happen again.”

With new canal systems under construction, India plans to divert water to its drought-prone states. That will leave Pakistan scrambling to make up the shortfall. Farmers already report water shortages, and experts warn that Pakistan’s agricultural sector may take years to recover.

As tensions rise, Pakistan’s leadership faces pressure to act. Bhutto has tried to channel public anger into a strong message to India. Analysts say these sharp warnings reflect serious domestic pressures. At the same time, India shows no signs of stepping back. Its leaders describe the water cut as a matter of national interest and security. Pakistan’s threats of war may not change their plans.

This new water dispute could deepen the crisis between the two countries. The Indus, once a symbol of cooperation, has become a dangerous flashpoint. Without outside intervention, experts warn that the water fight could grow into a larger regional crisis.