ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Wednesday called on the youth of India to reject disinformation and hate-mongering, urging them not to fall for the rhetoric of war. In an interview with Indian journalist Karan Thapar, the former foreign minister of Pakistan vehemently denied India’s allegations of Pakistan’s involvement in terrorism, dismissing them as mere propaganda.
Bilawal stressed that such claims were misleading and harmful, emphasizing that Pakistan did not condone any terrorist activities either within its borders or outside. He pointed out that Pakistan had been battling terrorism for decades, losing over 92,000 lives to terrorist attacks, including more than 1,200 civilians just last year. He warned that if the current pace of attacks continued, 2025 could be the bloodiest year in Pakistan’s history.
Acknowledging the emotional toll of terrorism, Bilawal shared his personal connection to the issue, referencing the trauma faced by victims and their families, particularly in the context of the Pahalgam attack in India. He reiterated Pakistan’s willingness to participate in an impartial international inquiry into the April 22 incident, where 26 tourists were killed in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), but noted that India had rejected the offer.
Bilawal also pointed to India’s history of fostering terrorism in Pakistan, referencing the 2007 Samjhota Express attack and the case of Kulbhushan Jadhav, an Indian spy arrested in Balochistan. He questioned the lack of convictions in such incidents while holding Pakistan to a different standard.
On the issue of water, Bilawal expressed concern over India’s plans to cut off water supplies to Pakistan, criticizing the move as a violation of humanitarian principles and a threat to millions of Pakistanis. He reminded India that such actions went against the philosophy of Gandhi and secular principles.
Despite these challenges, Bilawal reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to peace and urged for comprehensive dialogue between the two nations to tackle terrorism and other regional issues. He emphasized that the future of both countries should be shaped by cooperation and peaceful coexistence, not by the conflicts of the past.
In his tweet, Bilawal explained that he chose to give the interview to Indian media not because he expected a fair platform, but because he believed in the potential of the youth in both India and Pakistan to chart a new, peaceful future. He expressed hope that this generation would break the chains of history and overcome the forces of hate and war.
