Daijiworld Media Network- Islamabad

Islamabad, May 23: In a startling development that has escalated diplomatic tensions between India and Pakistan, Pakistan Army spokesperson Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry has issued a controversial warning to India, one that echoes the rhetoric of proscribed Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) terrorist Hafiz Saeed.

Speaking at a university gathering in Pakistan, Lt Gen Chaudhry reacted strongly to India’s recent move to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), following the Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives. “If you block our water, we will choke your breath,” he declared—words identical to those used by LeT founder Hafiz Saeed in a viral video circulating on social media platform X.

The remarks have drawn widespread condemnation and are being viewed as a dangerous alignment of military and extremist narratives. Hafiz Saeed, the mastermind of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, is internationally designated as a terrorist and is known for his inflammatory speeches against India.

India suspended key provisions of the World Bank-brokered 1960 Indus Waters Treaty on April 23, a day after the deadly terror strike in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam. New Delhi has made it clear that the decision will remain unless Islamabad takes concrete and irreversible steps to dismantle terror infrastructure operating from its soil.

Addressing the media on Thursday, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal reiterated India’s firm stance. “Blood and water cannot flow together; terror and talks cannot go together,” he said, echoing the longstanding policy underlined by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Jaiswal further stated that any future dialogue with Pakistan would be limited to the “vacation of illegally occupied Indian territory in Jammu and Kashmir.” He also confirmed that two Pakistan High Commission officials in New Delhi were declared ‘persona non grata’ for engaging in activities inconsistent with their diplomatic status—one of whom has already departed India.
India’s counter-terror posture was also reflected in “Operation Sindoor,” launched on May 7, which targeted nine terror hideouts in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing a public rally in Rajasthan’s Bikaner, issued a blunt warning to Islamabad. “If Pakistan continues to bleed India through terror, it will have to struggle for every drop of water. Playing with the blood of Indians will now cost Pakistan heavily,” he asserted.

With both diplomatic and military channels hardening their positions, the future of the Indus Waters Treaty hangs in the balance, as India signals zero tolerance towards state-sponsored terrorism.