BRUSSELS: Head of Pakistan’s high-level parliamentary delegation and former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto on Friday once again slammed India’s decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), denouncing it as an “illegal and unilateral” action that poses a threat to regional peace and stability.
The former foreign minister, while briefing a European think tank in Brussels, reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to resolving all outstanding issues with India through dialogue.
It is pertinent to mention that a high-level Pakistani Parliamentary delegation, led by former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, has reached Brussels after successful visits to Washington, New York, and London to debunk the Indian propaganda perpetrated after the recent conflict between the two countries.
The purpose of the visit of the delegation appointed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is to present Pakistan’s position on the recent tensions with India and highlight the importance of resolving the Jammu and Kashmir issue in accordance with the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council and the wishes of the Kashmiri people, a news release said.
The PPP chairman said India’s actions amounted to weaponising environmental resources, which could have dangerous consequences.
Bilawal warned that while Pakistan has shown restraint in response to Indian provocations, any further attempt to block the flow of water would force Islamabad to consider retaliatory measures.
“The suspension of the treaty is equivalent to disrupting peace in the region,” he said, warning New Delhi that Pakistan’s response would be inevitable if India continued on this path.
Addressing recent Pak-India tensions, he said that Islamabad had offered to investigate the Pahalgam incident, but New Delhi responded instead with “unprovoked aggression”.
“Modi government has yet to present any evidence regarding the Pahalgam attack,” the PPP chairman said.
Emphasising the importance of regional stability, the former foreign minister underscored that lasting peace in South Asia is closely tied to resolving the Kashmir dispute in line with United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions.
He further cautioned that the policies of the current Indian government, particularly under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, are jeopardizing peace efforts in the region.
“Pakistan has sacrificed thousands of lives in the fight against terrorism and continues to face cross-border threats, particularly in the aftermath of the evolving situation in Afghanistan,” he added.
On Middle East tensions, the PPP leader condemned Israel’s recent airstrikes on Iran, urging the international community to take immediate steps to de-escalate rising tensions in the Middle East.
“Global powers must act swiftly to prevent a full-scale war in the region,” he said, and warned that instability in South Asia and the Middle East could have global repercussions.
