ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has called on the international community to pressure India into engaging in a comprehensive dialogue with Pakistan. During a press conference at the United Nations in New York on Tuesday, Bilawal warned that recent military escalations between the two nuclear-armed neighbors have dangerously lowered the threshold for conflict.
“While the ceasefire is a welcome step, it is only a first step. I must emphasize that the global community is less safe today because the threshold for full-blown military conflict between two nuclear-armed states has decreased,” Bilawal said. He was accompanied by a nine-member parliamentary delegation, including prominent figures such as Hina Rabbani Khar, Sherry Rehman, and Dr Musadik Malik.
Bilawal recalled the events of May 7, when India launched illegal strikes on Pakistani territory, violating international law and the United Nations charter. These attacks targeted civilian infrastructure, including religious sites, dams, and energy facilities, resulting in civilian casualties. The PPP leader condemned these actions, stressing that Pakistan had offered to cooperate with India in a neutral investigation into the attack but was rebuffed.
The PPP chairman also highlighted Pakistan’s commitment to combating terrorism, pointing to the country’s own extensive experience in countering violent extremism. He recalled the assassination of his mother, Benazir Bhutto, at the hands of terrorists. Bilawal noted that the root cause of terrorism in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) is the unresolved Kashmir issue, which remains unaddressed by the United Nations Security Council.
Bilawal emphasized that India’s use of terrorism as a political tool to demonize Muslims in IIOJK and elsewhere must be opposed. “Pakistan still wants to cooperate with India on combating terrorism, but we cannot allow the fate of millions of people to be decided by non-state actors or terrorists,” he added.
He also condemned India’s recent actions regarding the weaponization of water, stressing that any threat to cut off Pakistan’s water supply would be considered an act of war. The PPP leader underscored the importance of addressing the Kashmir issue in a comprehensive dialogue, which would include mechanisms to resolve disputes and ensure peace.
During his visit, Bilawal met with French Ambassador to the UN, Jerome Bonnafont, and urged France to play a role in ensuring regional peace. He emphasized the need for international mediation to revive the Indus Water Treaty and to facilitate the resumption of comprehensive dialogue between India and Pakistan.
Bilawal concluded by calling on the international community to support Pakistan’s efforts for peace and to prevent India from imposing a “new normal” of arbitrary military strikes. He urged the international community to help bring both countries to the negotiating table, stating that lasting peace could only be achieved through dialogue.
