India's Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri slammed Pakistani politician Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Saturday for his provocative remarks on Indus water sharing and said Islamabad will soon realise the ramifications of the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty.
Puri was responding to the provocative remarks Bhutto-Zardari made in a speech at a rally in Sukkur, Sindh province.

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Speaking to his supporters, the PPP leader had declared, “The Indus is ours and will remain ours – either our water will flow through it, or their blood.” 

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“I heard his statement... Tell him to jump somewhere in water... Well, how will he, when there will be no water... Do not dignify such statements... They will get to understand that...,” remarked Puri while speaking to ANI.

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Commenting further on the Pahalgam terror strike, Puri said, “The Pahalgam incident is unequivocally a cross-border terrorist attack unleashed by a neighbouring state. Unlike before, no business will continue. Like PM Modi said, Pakistan will have to pay a heavy price, and this is just the beginning... The terrorists take away the most fundamental right to life. This is being condemned by the entire world. Pakistan is not just a rogue state, it is a country in terminal decline.” 

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On the reported throat-slitting gesture of Colonel Taimur Rahat, the Pakistan Army and Air Advisor at their High Commission in London, the minister said, “This is a state-sponsored terrorism... We have reached a point where they will have to pay a price... If they (Pakistan) think that they can survive the suspension of Indus Water Treaty, I wish them best of luck...”

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Things escalated between New Delhi and Islamabad after the Pahalgam attack. India downgraded diplomatic ties with Pakistan, and intelligence sources linked the attackers to Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistan-based terror group. 

Retaliating to India suspending the IWT, Islamabad suspended the Simla Agreement, a key 1972 deal between India and Pakistan aimed at easing tensions after the 1971 war. Pakistan also halted all trade with India, shut down its airspace for Indian flights, and warned that if India diverted water from the Indus River, it would be seen as an “act of war”.

Also Read | India to stop Indus water flow to Pakistan; minister says ‘will not allow a single drop’