Pak Army Spokesman echoes Hafiz Saeed’s threats amid Indus Waters Treaty suspension
Islamabad: In a provocative statement echoing the rhetoric of banned terrorist Hafiz Saeed, Pakistan Army spokesperson Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry warned India against suspending the Indus Waters Treaty. Speaking at a public gathering, reportedly at a university, Chaudhry said, “If you block our water, we will choke your breath,” mirroring Saeed’s own inflammatory language.
The remark came in response to India’s decision to put the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance until Pakistan ceases its support for cross-border terrorism. The decision followed the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed the lives of 26 people.
India officially suspended parts of the treaty on April 23. The agreement, brokered by the World Bank in 1960, governs water sharing between India and Pakistan across the Indus River and its tributaries.
Chaudhry’s remarks drew widespread comparisons to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) founder Hafiz Saeed, the mastermind behind the 2008 Mumbai attacks, who is infamous for his incendiary speeches. A video circulating on social media shows Saeed using the exact same phrase in a previous address, raising concerns about the alignment in language between the Pakistani military and designated terrorist figures.
Responding to the rising tensions, India reiterated its firm position. Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal emphasized that the treaty will remain suspended until Pakistan takes "credible and irreversible steps" to end terrorism. He asserted that “terror and talks can’t coexist” and that future dialogue with Pakistan would only concern the “vacation of illegally occupied Indian territory in Jammu and Kashmir.”
Jaiswal added that India is open only to discussions on the extradition of wanted terrorists already listed and shared with Islamabad.
In a related move, India expelled two Pakistani High Commission staffers in New Delhi, declaring them ‘persona non grata’ for conduct inconsistent with their diplomatic roles. One has already departed India, while the other was given 24 hours to leave.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing a rally in Bikaner, Rajasthan, echoed the government’s hardline stance. He warned that Pakistan would “struggle for every penny” if it continued its support for terror and emphasised that “playing with the blood of Indians will now cost Pakistan heavily.”
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Davangere South bypoll: Congress ahead by narrow lead after 14th round
Davangere: The Congress candidate is leading in the Davangere South Assembly by-election after the completion of the 14th round of counting.
According to the latest figures, the Congress has secured 46,460 votes, while the BJP stands at 39,037 votes, trailing by 7,423 votes.
The SDPI candidate has polled 15,303 votes so far.
Counting is still underway, and final results are awaited.
