KARACHI: After reports emerged of a United States military operation in Venezuela on January 3, a video clip of Pakistani politician Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari began circulating widely on social media.
In the footage, the Pakistan Peoples Party chairman is seen addressing parliament and appears to challenge the US president, questioning attacks carried out under the cover of darkness rather than in daylight. Social media users claimed that the remarks were directed at US President Donald Trump in response to the alleged strike on Venezuela.
This claim is incorrect. The video has no connection to Venezuela and was recorded well before the incident being referenced online.
On January 4, a day after the reported events in Venezuela, a social media user shared a 17-second clip of Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, asserting that he had openly challenged the US president. In the video, he says that those who attack at night do so out of cowardice and lack the courage to declare war openly.
However, the speech in question was delivered on May 7 and was related to a different event altogether. At the time, Bilawal was speaking about an Indian missile strike carried out inside Pakistan during the night of May 6.
The complete speech is available on the official YouTube channel of the National Assembly of Pakistan, where the relevant remarks begin around the 2:35 mark. In his address, Bilawal criticised India, saying that attacks carried out in darkness were the actions of cowards and that a courageous adversary would confront Pakistani forces openly during the day.
The video currently circulating online is therefore not recent and has been falsely linked to events in Venezuela. There is no evidence to suggest that Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s remarks were directed at the United States or its leadership.
