LONDON: Head of Pakistan’s high-level Parliamentary delegation and former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Wednesday criticized India for attempting to sabotage US President Donald Trump’s peace efforts in South Asia.
Speaking at a press conference at the Pakistan High Commission in London, Bilawal warned that India’s actions would ultimately fail, and expressed confidence that Washington would compel New Delhi to engage in dialogue for the sake of regional stability.
“India wants to sabotage President Trump’s peace efforts, but its efforts will be in vain. The US will, if required, drag India to the table as it is in the global interest that India and Pakistan make peace for regional stability and move towards development,” Bilawal said.
Bilawal’s statement came in the wake of Pakistan’s recent conflict with India, sparked by the April 22 attack on tourists in Pahalgam, located in Indian-Illegal Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
Following the attack, New Delhi swiftly blamed Pakistan for the attack without providing any credible evidence. Pakistan condemned the attack and offered a neutral and transparent international investigation into the incident.
However, India failed to respond to Pakistan’s offer and continued with its aggressive posture, jeopardizing regional peace.
The incident triggered a four-day military escalation between the two nuclear-armed nations. The standoff was ultimately de-escalated following a US-brokered ceasefire on May 10.
In response, the Pakistani government formed a high-level delegation, led by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, to present Pakistan’s stance on the crisis and counter what it called Indian propaganda.
After completing a round of diplomatic engagements in the United States, the delegation has arrived in the United Kingdom and will head to Brussels for talks with members of the European Commission.
Bilawal emphasized the resolution of all issues, including that of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, through dialogue. He said peace between Pakistan and India is in the interest of the international community.
He added that during this conflict, there has been notable diplomatic progress on the Kashmir issue. “In 2019, India believed it had effectively internalised the Kashmir matter.
However, President Trump’s call for mediation has once again internationalised the dispute. India is now compelled to acknowledge that Kashmir remains a bilateral issue,” said the former foreign minister.
A day earlier, the State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said during a press briefing reaffirmed President Trump’s willingness to address the Kashmir conflict, stressing that each of his initiatives is aimed at resolving long-standing disputes between nations.
Bilawal said that Pakistan desires peace but will defend itself from Indian aggression if attacked.
“Pakistan believes that through dialogue, all issues — whether Kashmir, water, or terrorism — can be resolved. War is not the solution,” he asserted, adding the message would be conveyed to the European Commission during the visit to Brussels as well.
“India’s narrative is based on lies. Its war and post-war narrative is also based on lies. The people of India also want to live in peace.
“We have demonstrated that we can defeat India in conventional war as well as on the diplomatic front. We are talking about peace and India about war.”
“The world should ask who is the aggressor. Pakistan responded with restraint, and India continued to brag about war. Even India’s military has walked back its initial lies. Pakistan Air Force defended its air space,” he said.
Bilawal said India has been unable to provide even a shred of evidence on the baseless allegations in the Pahalgam attack in occupied Kashmir in which 26 people lost their lives.
“Pakistan has asked for evidence. We have nothing to hide. If India has proof linking the April attacks to Pakistani soil, the Pakistan group, then share it with the international community.
“The truth is India knows Pakistan has nothing to do with the attacks. That is why India refused our prime minister’s call for an investigation. That is why to this day, they are hiding the truth from their citizens. This was an indigenous act of terrorism, an Indian intelligence failure, and the Indian government launched a war based on a lie,” he asserted.
“I think India’s targeting campaign against Sikhs is a continuing factor why the world wasn’t with them when they raised allegations against Pakistan,” he said.
In response to another question, Bilawal stated that India has targeted Sikh activists internationally, accusing New Delhi of using terrorism as a tool of foreign policy — a practice he said is unacceptable for any civilized nation.
