HYDERABAD/KARACHI — PPP organized province‑wide demonstrations on Sunday to denounce India’s unilateral move to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) and its plans to divert water from Pakistan’s Indus River system.
Speaking at a Hyderabad rally, PPP Sindh President Nisar Ahmed Khuhro noted that party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto‑Zardari has brought the matter to international forums and plans to pursue it to a definitive conclusion.
The procession began at Shahbaz Building Chowk and concluded outside the local press club in the evening. PPP district President and MNA Tariq Shah Jamot, General Secretary Waseem Rajput, Hyderabad Divisional President Ajiz Dhamra, and other party officials addressed the crowd.
Khuhro emphasized that the PPP has consistently championed Pakistan’s federalist principles. He pointed out that Bilawal challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the global stage, asserting that Modi “will receive a response shortly.”
Khuhro, also a Member of the Provincial Assembly, added that the PPP’s decision to raise water concerns publicly will mobilize citizens in every village.
He stated that Bilawal intends to engage the public on Pakistan’s entitlement to Indus water resources, and that PPP supporters aim to position him as prime minister to safeguard national interests.
Khuhro declared that Pakistanis will not tolerate any assault on the nation’s sovereignty, noting that Bilawal possesses the resolve to confront the challenge single‑handedly.
He recalled the PPP’s opposition to the contentious Kalabagh Dam during the late President Pervez Musharraf’s era, questioning how anyone could propose another controversial canal project.
The senior politician reiterated that Bilawal’s position on provincial autonomy and water rights is unequivocal, criticizing parties such as PTI for claiming that provincial autonomy has left the federation financially insolvent.
He questioned why parties like PTI and the MQM‑P do not challenge India when it threatens Pakistan’s sovereignty.
Meanwhile, MPAs Ejaz Shah Bukhari and Khurram Karim Soomro led another rally on Hyderabad’s Phulelli road.
PPP activists attending the rally pledged to defend the Indus River, which sustains millions in Sindh, labeling India’s actions as “water terrorism.”
Participants warned that standing crops in Sindh face damage from water scarcity, while sea intrusion is eroding agricultural lands in the Indus delta.
Contending that the 1991 Water Accord is not being fulfilled by the federal government, PPP leaders announced they will raise the matter with the central authorities to secure Sindh’s rightful water allocation.
Last month, water shortages intensified across Sindh and Balochistan as upstream Punjab extracted excess flows, jeopardizing downstream provinces’ agriculture and drinking‑water supplies.
PPP district information secretary Dr Mir Hassan Mallah, district council vice chairman Ghulam Mustafa Jat and others were also present at the demonstration.
Saeed Ghani says war would be only option if water denied
In Karachi, Sindh’s Minister for Labour and Social Protection Saeed Ghani spoke at a rally organized by the PPP’s South District chapter, while Senator Waqar Mehdi addressed a gathering in Keamari and MNA Sharmila Faruqui led an event in the East district.
The rally led by Ghani marched from the Sindh Assembly building to the Karachi Press Club (KPC).
Ghani, also the PPP’s Karachi Division President, emphasized that the Indus River’s waters are vital not only for Sindh and Karachi but for the entire nation, providing drinking water and irrigation for Pakistan’s 250 million inhabitants.
Addressing demonstrators outside the KPC, the PPP leader described the Indus River as Pakistan’s lifeline and asserted that no legal framework permits India to unilaterally suspend the IWT.
Referring to Bilawal’s recent address in Sukkur, Ghani noted that the PPP chairman warned Pakistan would not stay silent if water flow in the Indus were impeded.
“We are a peaceful people and do not want war because we believe war is not the solution to any problem,” Ghani said.
However, he cautioned that if the populace is deprived of water and food, leading to hunger, “war would become the only option.”
Earlier this week, the army’s senior leadership reaffirmed its “resolute commitment” to take “all necessary measures” to secure Pakistan’s rightful share of water.
It underscored the “Indian rhetoric surrounding” the IWT and reaffirmed the guidance from last year’s National Security Committee (NSC) directive, which classifies any effort to halt or divert water under the treaty as an “act of war.”
Ghani stated that the campaign against India’s alleged water aggression involves more than party leadership, urging citizens to amplify their voices.
He further alleged that India seeks retribution for prior setbacks and cautioned that if New Delhi does not act responsibly, Pakistan’s political leadership may need to consider declaring war.
The minister added that any aggression will be met with a response “that future generations will remember.”
Ghani maintained that neither Pakistan nor India can unilaterally disregard the treaty; any amendment requires the consent of both parties.
The rally was attended by PPP District South President Javed Nagori, General Secretary Taimur Sial, Abdul Majeed Mulla, Fareed Memon, Aslam Samoon, Khalil Houth, and a large crowd.
Meanwhile, in his Keamari district rally, Senator Mehdi warned that India’s unilateral attempt to suspend the IWT poses a grave threat to regional peace and stability.
He stressed that weaponizing water or employing it as a tool of political coercion is an extremely dangerous and inhumane act.
He warned that any attempt to block or usurp Pakistan’s water share would be regarded as an attack on the nation’s economy, agriculture, food security, national security, and the fundamental rights of its citizens.
He reiterated the PPP’s resolve to continue safeguarding Pakistan’s water rights through every constitutional, legal, diplomatic, and democratic avenue.