Washington (TDI): Former Foreign Minister and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has accused India of endangering regional stability by taking steps that, he warned, could lead to a nuclear confrontation, this time, over water.
Speaking during a roundtable at the Middle East Institute in Washington, Bhutto-Zardari drew attention to India’s handling of the Indus Waters Treaty and alleged that New Delhi’s actions are pushing the region toward a point of no return.
“What used to be a hypothetical scenario, war over water is now inching closer to reality,” he warned. “Pakistan has always maintained that deliberately obstructing our water supply would be viewed as a direct threat to our survival.”
He clarified that the Pakistani position isn’t fueled by rhetoric but by an urgent sense of crisis. “This isn’t about national pride, it’s about our existence,” he said, calling on international powers to acknowledge the gravity of the situation and hold India accountable.
Also weighing in at the event was Anne Patterson, former US ambassador to Pakistan, who expressed support for Pakistan’s call for a neutral investigation into the Pahalgam incident, an attack that triggered a dangerous military standoff between the two nuclear neighbors.
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Patterson was critical of the way the international community responded at the time, noting that India was not asked to provide any credible evidence before blaming Pakistan.
“Unfortunately, the global reaction relied too heavily on assumptions,” she said. “It’s disturbing that no demand was made for forensic proof. A truly independent inquiry, perhaps by agencies like the FBI or Scotland Yard, is necessary if we want to avoid future flashpoints.”
She also remarked that the US-Pakistan relationship remains stuck in historical mistrust, even though both countries continue to work together on security matters.
As these concerns were being aired, delegations from India and Pakistan were both present in Washington, meeting American officials in a bid to engage diplomatically amid rising tensions.
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Pakistan’s group includes well-known political figures such as Sherry Rehman, Hina Rabbani Khar, Dr. Musadik Malik, Khurram Dastgir Khan, Faisal Subzwari, Tehmina Janjua, Bushra Anjum Butt, and former ambassador Jalil Abbas Jilani.
India’s delegation, led by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, comprises Shambhavi Chaudhary (Lok Janshakti Party), Sarfaraz Ahmed (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha), G. M. Harish Balayogi (Telugu Desam Party), BJP lawmakers Tejaswi Surya, Shashank Mani Tripathi, Bhubaneswar Kalita, as well as Shiv Sena’s Mallikarjun Devda and Milind Deora. Former Indian ambassador to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu, is also part of the delegation.
On Thursday, the Indian team held talks with US Vice President JD Vance, a meeting seen by observers as an attempt to capitalize on his ties to the Indian-American community.
Farkhund Yousafzai is an Associate Editor at The Diplomatic Insight.
