Pakistani military spokesperson Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry issued a threat to India, reportedly using language identical to that of known terrorist Hafiz Saeed. Chaudhry’s comments were made at a public gathering, addressing India’s recent actions concerning the Indus Waters Treaty.

During a speech at a university in Pakistan, Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry reportedly stated, “If you block our water, we will choke your breath.” This statement followed India’s move to suspend parts of the water-sharing treaty on April 23, a day after a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam killed 26 people.

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This rhetoric closely mirrors that used by Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed, the alleged mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, who is known for his inflammatory speeches against India and the United States. A video circulating on social media platform ‘X’ reportedly shows Hafiz Saeed using these same words.

The Indus Waters Treaty, brokered by the World Bank and signed in 1960, governs the sharing of the Indus River and its tributaries between India and Pakistan, and mandates regular information exchange on water use.

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Meanwhile, New Delhi has repeatedly conveyed a tougher stance on Pakistan’s alleged support for cross-border terrorism, asserting that “blood and water cannot flow together; talk and terror cannot go together.” India’s suspension of parts of the treaty was part of countermeasures against Islamabad, which also included “Operation Sindoor” on May 7, targeting nine terror hideouts in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir.