Within minutes of the tragic Pahalgam attack, India had already identified its scapegoat: Pakistan. Long before rescue teams arrived at the scene, Indian authorities had filed an FIR implicating Pakistan. A well-oiled media machine sprang into action, broadcasting blame without evidence, without inquiry and without hesitation.
India’s instinctive move to blame Pakistan has drawn less international traction than in the past. Unlike previous incidents, where the West often echoed New Delhi’s accusations, this time global capitals have remained notably quiet. The absence of concrete intelligence or independently verified evidence has exposed India’s narrative’s fragility. In its rush to point fingers, India may have weakened its own position on the world stage.
This pattern is not new. It is a calculated strategy: exploit tragedy, stoke nationalist outrage, shift focus from domestic failures, and pursue deeper political agendas. In 2019, the Pulwama incident was used as a pretext to revoke Article 370 and dismantle Kashmir’s special constitutional status. Today, the target is not territory but water.
India is now attempting to undermine the Indus Waters Treaty – a historic accord signed in 1960 and brokered by the World Bank. This treaty, which has withstood wars and political hostilities, guarantees Pakistan's rights to the waters of the Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab – rivers that sustain our agriculture, ecology and people. Crucially, the treaty contains no provision that allows either country to suspend or terminate its implementation unilaterally. Under treaty law and international norms, India's decision to halt water flows is unlawful.
Recent reports confirm that India has already cut off Pakistan's water supply from the Baglihar Dam on the Chenab River and is preparing to reduce runoff from the Kishanganga project on the Jhelum. These actions are not speculative; they are operational. They expose a deliberate and long-term strategy to deprive Pakistan of its lifeblood under the pretext of retaliation.
The intent is clear. India is weaponising water. This is an existential issue. Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s powerful words – “Either our water will flow, or their blood will” – are a declaration of Pakistan’s red line.
Pakistan, in contrast, has responded with restraint and responsibility. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called for an independent, impartial international investigation into the Pahalgam attack. Our civil and military leadership have reaffirmed a consistent commitment to peace, regional stability and lawful resolution.
Even within India, serious concerns have been raised. The Indian National Congress has publicly blamed the Modi government for grave security and intelligence failures leading to the Pahalgam attack, specifically pointing to lapses in the Union Home Ministry’s security apparatus. It was also revealed that the Baisaran meadow area had been opened to tourists ahead of schedule without informing security forces, a reckless move that left the area exposed and unguarded.
India faces crucial state elections later this year, and now – having overplayed its hand with hasty accusations – Modi finally finds himself outboxed by his own narrative.
India’s narrative of blaming Pakistan for terrorism is offensive. No nation has paid a heavier price in the global war on terror than Pakistan. We have lost over 80,000 lives and absorbed more than $150 billion in economic devastation. Yet, despite this staggering toll, Pakistan has stood firm as the world’s frontline state against terrorism. We have dismantled networks, driven out militants and restored control over territories once overrun by extremism. To accuse the victim of being the perpetrator is a brazen distortion of global reality. Pakistan is not the source of instability but the bulwark holding the line.
The Pakistan Army stands at the heart of this resistance. Forged in conflict and strengthened by sacrifice, our armed forces remain ever-ready to defend Pakistan’s sovereignty, soil and lifelines. Let the world be reminded: Pakistan is a nuclear state. Our pursuit of peace must never be mistaken for submission. If provoked, Pakistan will defend itself.
Meanwhile, the human cost of India’s manufactured outrage continues to mount. In the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack, India revoked visas, halted pilgrimages and expelled visiting Pakistanis. Families were abruptly separated, and at the Wagah border, young children were seen weeping as they were torn from their loved ones. This is not diplomacy. This is collective punishment.
But the world is beginning to see through the fog. India may dominate its domestic airwaves, but it cannot silence international scrutiny. This is no longer about rhetoric or routine tensions. It is about water, the most vital and non-negotiable resource for Pakistan’s future. We have always stood for peace, but peace cannot be offered while rivers are throttled and treaties are torn.
If India believes it can divert our rivers, rewrite treaties and gamble with Pakistan’s survival, it is sorely mistaken. Pakistan is not a passive observer. We are a sovereign state, a nuclear power, and a nation forged in resilience. We do not seek war, but if water is turned into a weapon, then resistance will become our duty.
Let history record this: Pakistan did not provoke this conflict, but it will finish it – with dignity, with resolve and with the full force of its will.
The writer is a member of the National Assembly. She holds a PhD in Law, and serves on the National Assembly’s Special Committee on Kashmir.
