Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party Chiarman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Fawad Chaudhry exchanged heated remarks on Saturday after a diplomatic development regarding the Indus Water Treaty.
On Friday, Pakistan welcomed the issuance of Supplemental Award by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague which stated clearly that India cannot unilaterally suspend the Treaty.
The court’s ruling upheld the position of Pakistan and said India’s unilateral actions could not undermine the jurisdiction of either the court of arbitration or the Neutral Expert in proceedings under the IWT.
After the development, the PPP chief took to X (formerly Twitter), reiterating that India’s unilateral decision to suspend the decades old treaty was not recognised under international law. “Sindhu pay hamla na manzoor. India’s unilateral decision regarding the Indus Water Treaty have no bearing in international law,” the former foreign minister posted on X.
Fawad Chaudhry responded to the PPP chairman’s statement in another X post and said: “This [is] an attack on Pakistan, not on Sindh — unless you have also joined Sindhu Daish under GM Syed family… BB would never have made such a statement.”
Bilawal fired back, saying: “You idiot. Sindhu River is the Indus River. The Indus Valley civilisation belongs to all of Pakistan.”
PPP chairman added that the word Indus is the Latinised version of Sindhu, which had been brought into English via the Greek name “Indos”, which in turn was derived from the Persian pronunciation of Sindhu.
Earlier, The Permanent Court of Arbitration has upheld Pakistan’s position on the Indus Waters Treaty, rejecting India’s claim to unilaterally suspend the agreement.
The decision was warmly welcomed by Pakistan.
In its decision, the court clearly stated that India has no legal authority to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty.
The judgment emphasized the critical role of the court in treaty-related matters and clarified that India’s move to suspend the treaty does not affect the legitimacy or functioning of the arbitration process.
The court noted that it had thoroughly reviewed the treaty and found no provision that allows either party to suspend it unilaterally.
The ruling comes in response to India’s announcement on April 23, 2025, declaring the immediate suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty following a militant attack in Pahalgam.
India formally notified Pakistan of this decision on April 24.
In reaction, the Permanent Court of Arbitration had requested both parties on May 16 to submit written statements regarding the possible legal implications of the situation.
Earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that Pakistan will defend its right to water, as provided under the Indus Water Treaty.
He highlighted that India’s unilateral actions that aim to hold the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance are a matter of serious concern for Pakistan.
“There is no provision for such actions under the Treaty, and the waters of the Indus are the lifeline of the 240 million people of Pakistan.
The Government of Pakistan will defend its right to water, as provided under the Treaty, while simultaneously accelerating efforts to enhance its domestic water storage capacity,” the premier said.
