Pahalgam attack: After 'blood will flow' rhetoric, Bilawal Bhutto tones down stance, calls for talks with India

A day after Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari threatened that "either our water or their blood will flow" over India's decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty, the former Pakistan foreign minister has toned down his stance and has called for talks between the two nations.

Bilawal claimed that that Pakistani government offered talks, but India rejected its efforts. Talking about the suspended treaty, the PPP leader alleged that India's case on the pact is "weak".

"No country has taken such aggressive decisions on blocking water in the past. When I was the foreign minister, India had also tried to challenge the Indus Waters Treaty, but it failed in its goal because its case on the Indus Waters Treaty is very weak," he claimed.

This comes a day after the Pakistani politician claimed that the "Indus is ours and will remain ours".

The Indus Waters Treaty, which was inked by New Delhi and Islamabad in September 1960, governs how the waters of the six Indus basin rivers should be distributed between the two neigbouring nations. Islamabad relies on Indus basin for 80 per cent of its agricultural needs and more than 30 per cent of its hydropower.

Assam Chief Minister had earlier slammed Bilawal, saying the Pakistani politician's words "dishonour" the sacrifice of his family, calling him an unworthy son. Bilawal is the son of late Benazir Bhutto and grandson of late Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, both former prime ministers of Pakistan.

On Sunday, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) took over the probe into the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people on April 22. Lashkar-e-Taiba proxy The Resistance Front (TRF), has claimed responsibility for the attack. The NIA team will collect forensic evidence and speak to witnesses.

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