metro india news  I hyderabad

AIMIM chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi has launched a scathing attack on Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Bilawal Bhutto Zardari for his provocative “blood will flow” remark, made in response to India’s decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 25 tourists and a Kashmiri local. Bhutto, Pakistan’s former Foreign Affairs Minister and a key figure in the country’s ruling coalition, declared at a rally on Friday, “The Indus is ours and will remain ours – either our water will flow through it, or their blood.”

Owaisi, addressing the media, sharply criticized Bhutto’s statement, urging him to reflect on his family’s tragic history. “Forget about such childish talk. Does he not know what happened to his grandfather? His mother? His mother was killed by terrorists. He should not be speaking like this,” Owaisi said.

He referred to the assassinations of Bhutto’s mother, former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, and grandfather, former President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Benazir was killed in a suicide bombing on December 30, 2007, during a rally in Rawalpindi, an attack linked to al-Qaeda and a Taliban offshoot, though the case remains unresolved. Zulfikar was executed in 1979 under a controversial trial during General Zia-ul-Haq’s regime.

“He must think who killed his mother. Terrorism killed her. If he doesn’t get that, what will you explain to him?” Owaisi continued. “When they shot your mother, it is terrorism. But when they kill our mothers and daughters, it is not?” He accused Bhutto of hypocrisy, pointing out Pakistan’s reliance on foreign aid, particularly from the United States, to sustain its economy. “Unless the US gives you something, you cannot run the country, and you are trying to stare us down,” Owaisi remarked.

The AIMIM leader also condemned Pakistani leaders for repeatedly threatening India with nuclear weapons. “If you enter a country and kill innocents, no country will stay silent, no matter who is in power,” he said. Referencing the Pahalgam attack, where attackers reportedly targeted victims based on their religion, Owaisi called Pakistan’s leadership “worse than Khawarij” – a reference to an Islamic sect considered deviant – and accused them of sympathizing with ISIS.

Bhutto’s remarks have sparked widespread outrage across India’s political spectrum. Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri dismissed the statement as irrational, saying, “Tell him to get his mental condition checked. Enough is enough. We will no longer tolerate this. Now wait for a few days.” Puri’s response hinted at potential retaliatory measures, though he did not elaborate.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor also condemned Bhutto’s rhetoric as “inflammatory” and warned Pakistan against further provocations. “Pakistanis have to understand that they cannot kill Indians with impunity. We have no designs on Pakistan, but if they do something, they must be prepared for a response. If blood is going to flow, it will possibly flow more on their side than ours,” Tharoor said.

The controversy stems from India’s decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty, a 1960 agreement brokered by the World Bank that governs the sharing of the Indus River system’s waters between the two nations. The suspension followed the Pahalgam attack, which India attributes to Pakistan-based terror groups. The attack, one of the deadliest in recent years, has heightened tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors, with India signaling a tougher stance on cross-border terrorism.

Bhutto’s remarks have further inflamed an already volatile situation, drawing sharp rebukes from Indian leaders who view them as a direct threat. As tensions escalate, the international community is closely watching how both nations navigate this latest flashpoint in their long-standing rivalry.