In yet another striking convergence of the rhetoric between the Pakistan Army and its terror eco-system, a Pakistani military spokesperson has used inflammatory words threatening India, which were similar to those used by Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) terrorist Hafiz Saeed.

Referring to India’s recent move to suspend the water-sharing treaty following a deadly terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, Pakistani military spokesperson Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said, “If you block our water, we will choke your breath.”

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He was speaking at a public gathering over India’s decision to keep the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance till Islamabad abjures terrorism and stops aiding, funding, and supporting terrorist groups emanating from its soil.

This comment mirrors the thinking of LeT founder Hafiz, who had allegedly said, “If you stop the water, God willing, we will stop your breath, and then blood shall follow in these rivers,” according to videos shared by people on the internet, who drew similarities between the comments.

Saeed, the mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, is known for his inflammatory speeches against India and the US.

The statements come as India suspended parts of the Indus Waters Treaty on April 23, a day after 26 innocent people were gunned down in a terror attack in Pahalgam. The treaty, signed in 1960 and brokered by the World Bank, governs the sharing of the Indus River and its tributaries between the two countries.

Meanwhile, New Delhi has repeatedly said “Blood and water cannot flow together; talk and terror cannot go together,” indicating a tougher stance on Pakistan’s alleged support for cross-border terrorism.

Suspension was among the countermeasures taken by India against Islamabad, including “Operation Sindoor” on May 7 that targeted nine terror hideouts in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

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

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his address at a public rally in Rajasthan’s Bikaner, issued a stern warning to Islamabad. He said Pakistan would have to “struggle for every penny” if it continued to support terror, and that it would not get India’s rightful share of water under the current treaty terms. “Playing with the blood of Indians will now cost Pakistan heavily,” he warned.