'Water will not go anywhere': Jal Shakti minister says India is not afraid of Pak's empty threats

New Delhi: Reaffirming India's tough stance on the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), Union Jal Shakti minister C R Patil on Thursday said that India was not afraid of Pakistan's empty threats on this issue.

Days after former Pakistan foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto threatened war if India refused to renegotiate the Indus Waters Treaty, Patil, responded firmly: “Water will not go anywhere. The treaty will not be renegotiated. What Bilawal Bhutto says is up to him. He has his own domestic politics to play.”

Addressing media, Patil said Bilawal Bhutto had earlier too threatened that if IWT is suspended blood will flow in the Indus.

“Hum in geedad bhabkiyon se darte nahi hain (We are not afraid of these empty threats),” the minister added.

Admitting that Pakistan has written multiple times to India, asking it to review its decision on the treaty, the Minister said, " Pakistan writing letters on revoking the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty is a formality and is not going to change India's stance on the matter. "

While acknowledging that India was working to utilise the waters of the western tributaries of the Indus, the minister did not divulge project details. However he said, “Some answers look good when given at their own time but whatever will happen will be good for us.”

He said it was not in the national interest to divulge project specifics right now.

"This decision belongs to the Indian government and the Prime Minister... There is no update on the abeyance of the treaty. Whatever decision will be taken will only benefit the nation," he said.

Patil asserted that political stability in Bangladesh is crucial for any progress on the long-pending Teesta water-sharing agreement.

"When the situation becomes stable there, only then will we be able to move forward," he added.

Patil's comments come amid concerns over the stalled pact, which has been a contentious issue between the two neighbours for more than a decade.

While a broad framework for the deal was agreed upon during former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Bangladesh, opposition from West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee stalled its finalisation.