‘Every Pakistani ready to fight…’: How Bilawal Bhutto is ramping up war rhetoric against India after Munir

A day after Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir’s nuclear threat against India, former Pakistani foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto issued fresh threats against New Delhi on Monday.

Bhutto made those remarks while warning of war if New Delhi continues making changes to the Indus Waters Treaty.

This comes after Asim Munir, while speaking in the US, openly threatened ‘nuclear war’ if his country faced an existential threat in a future war with India.

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Notably, this was Munir’s second visit to the US in two months since the end of the four-day conflict with India.

What did Bhutto say? How did Asim Munir threaten India? And, how has India responded?

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Let’s take a look:

Bilawal Bhutto’s war threat

The former Pakistani foreign minister reportedly issued fresh threats against India, warning of war if New Delhi continues making changes to the Indus Waters Treaty.

Speaking at an event organised by the Culture Department of the Government of Sindh on Monday, he described “water aggression” as a historic attack and a violation of the Indus River Treaty.

“We have fought wars in the past but the Indus was never attacked, and no one even thought of building dams or canals on the river,” he was quoted as saying by Pakistan’s The Express Tribune.

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He told his supporters that “every Pakistani is ready to fight a war”.

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'Every Pakistani Ready...': Bilawal Bhutto Ramps Up War Rhetoric Over Indus Water Treaty @siddhantvm @DhantaNews pic.twitter.com/58rxSEeSte

— News18 (@CNNnews18) August 12, 2025

“So, if you think of carrying out an attack like Sindoor, then know that the people of every province of Pakistan are ready to fight you — and this is a war that you will definitely lose,” he reportedly said.

He added that “you people are strong enough for war to get back all six rivers," pledging that Pakistan “will never bow down".

Notably, India put the 1960 treaty in abeyance immediately after the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22 this year that killed 26 people.

“If Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announces an attack on Indus, he attacks our history, our culture and our civilisation,” Bilawal reportedly said.

Asim Munir’s nuclear threat

Bilawal Bhutto’s threat comes after Pakistan’s Field Marshal Asim Munir reportedly said that Islamabad would use its nuclear weapons to take down India and “half the world” if his country faced an existential threat in a future war with New Delhi.

While addressing the Pakistani diaspora in Tampa, Florida, Munir said, “We are a nuclear nation. If we think we are going down, we’ll take half the world down with us.”

This was reportedly the first known instance of a nuclear threat being made from American soil towards a third country, media reports said. These remarks were made during a dinner hosted for Munir by businessman Adnan Asad, the honorary consul for Tampa.

He claimed that the Indus Waters Treaty issue could put 250 million people at risk of starvation.

He reportedly said, “We will wait for India to build a dam, and when it does, we will destroy it with ten missiles. The Indus River is not the Indians’ family property… We have no shortage of missiles, Alhamdulillah.”

This was his second trip to the US, following an invitation for lunch with American President Donald Trump at the White House on June 18. It was then that Munir recommended Trump’s name for a Nobel Prize for his alleged role in peace-making efforts and preventing a war between India and Pakistan.

According to reports, around 120 Florida-based people of Pakistani origin were present at the event.

India responds to Munir’s threat

On Monday, India sharply responded to Munir’s remarks and questioned the integrity of Islamabad’s nuclear command and control.

New Delhi described the Pakistan Army Chief’s comments as “nuclear sabre-rattling” and a “stock-in-trade” move of the neighbouring country.

In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs said, “Our attention has been drawn to remarks reportedly made by the Pakistani Chief of Army Staff while on a visit to the United States. Nuclear sabre-rattling is Pakistan’s stock-in-trade.”

“The international community can draw its own conclusions on the irresponsibility inherent in such remarks, which also reinforces the well-held doubts about the integrity of nuclear command and control in a state where the military is hand-in-glove with terrorist groups,” it added.

In a possible message to the US, the ministry said it was regrettable that the remarks were made from the soil of a “friendly third country”.

“India has already made it clear that it will not give in to nuclear blackmail. We will continue to take all steps necessary to safeguard our national security,” it added.

With inputs from agencies