PPP Chairman and former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Wednesday cautioned that a nuclear war between India and Pakistan will have devastating consequences for the entire region and beyond.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has decided to send a high-level diplomatic delegation to important world capitals to expose Indian propaganda“ in the aftermath of the recent military escalation with India.
Bilawal has been entrusted to lead the delegation, comprising of Senator Sherry Rehman, Dr Musadik Malik, Engineer Khurram Dastgir, Hina Rabbani Khar, Faisal Sabzwari, Tehmina Janjua, and Jalil Abbas Jilani.
The former foreign minister was speaking to media after receiving initial briefing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs before he leads a high-level diplomatic delegation to world capitals to brief foreign leaders on India’s aggression and efforts to destabilise regional peace.
Bilawal said they received initial briefing at the Foreign Office on the ceasefire, Kashmir, terrorism and the “attack” on the Indus Waters Treaty.
He said these briefings will be held for next few days and then as per the prime minister’s directive, they will visit different countries to present Pakistan’s stance that is based on peace.
He said Pakistan desired peace in the region that can be achieved by addressing the flashpoints whether it was the Kashmir dispute or terrorism.
“Pakistan is one of the biggest victims of terrorism,” he noted.
Bilawal cautioned that the “new normal” which India is seeking is not in its favour either.
“We have seen how after a terrorist attack, both countries can come close to a nuclear war,” he added.
The foreign foreign minister said there is need to hold dialogue and finding solutions to the issue of terrorism. He said the people of both countries sought peace which is not possible until the three main issues – Kashmir, terrorism, and water – are resolved.
He expressed grave concerns on India’s weaponisation of water and highlighted the need for Pakistan to inform the world about it.
He said that they will inform foreign governments and people that a conflict between two nuclear countries will have severe consequences beyond the region.
He also appreciated the efforts of the prime minister during the conflict, saying Pakistan demonstrated a ‘reasonable and rational role’ after India’s baseless accusations.
“Pakistan was not the aggressor, we defended ourselves,” adding the world is welcoming our stance as we stood with the truth, while India built a narrative on lies and falsehoods.
Bilawal, in a recent post on X, announced that he was appointed by the prime minister to “lead a delegation to present Pakistan’s case for peace on the international stage”.
“I am honoured to accept this responsibility and remain committed to serving Pakistan in these challenging times,” he wrote.
In a similar development, the Indian government also announced that seven all-party delegations would visit key partner countries, including members of the UN Security Council, later this month to present the country’s stance on terrorism and “project India’s national consensus”.
