Syed Ali Zafar, a senator from Pakistan, has urged the Shehbaz Sharif-led government to ‘diffuse’ the water bomb dropped by India, which the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty after the Pahalgam terrorist attack. He further stated that Pakistanis will die of hunger if the water bomb thrown by India is not diffused. 

Pak senator warns of water bomb

Zafar, who is from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), currently sits in the opposition and was addressing the Pakistani senate. He highlighted that one out of ten people is dependent on the Indus river system and warned that a huge population could die of hunger if the issue is not dealt with.

ALSO READ

“If we don’t solve this water crisis now, we could die of hunger. The reason is that the Indus Basin is our lifeline. Three-fourths of our water comes from outside the country. Out of every ten people, nine are living their lives based on international border basins,” Zafar said.

“According to statistics, 90% of our crops depend on this water. All our power projects and dams are built on this water. That’s why we must understand that this is like a water bomb hanging over us — we have to defuse it, we have to resolve it,” he added.

Indus Waters Treaty suspension

In the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed the lives of 26 Indian citizens, India announced multiple measures, including putting the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in abeyance. The measures were taken to deliver a stern message to Pakistan on cross-border terrorism. 

India and Pakistan both agreed to the ceasefire after the tensions escalated by the Indian strike under the flag of Operation Sindoor. However, the ceasefire was violated by Pakistan just after few hours later, with a drone attack from the other side.