Bilawal Bhutto addresses presser at UN headquarters on Pakistan-India tensions
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, who is leading a top parliamentary delegation, held a live press conference at the United Nations Headquarters, focusing on recent events in South Asia.
During the press conference, Bilawal said that on May 7, India carried out illegal strikes inside Pakistan, which violated the United Nations Charter and international law. He stated that India targeted civilian areas, religious places, and important infrastructure like dams and energy facilities. As a result, innocent people, including women and children, lost their lives.
He explained that India used the Pahalgam attack as an excuse to carry out these attacks inside Pakistan. Bilawal expressed sympathy for all victims of terrorism and said Pakistan has always strongly condemned terrorism in every form.
After the terrorist attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) on April 22, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif publicly offered India Pakistan’s support in any fair international investigation. He said Pakistan made this offer confidently because it had no connection to the attack.
He added that India rejected Pakistan’s offer and chose to strike instead. He emphasized that Pakistan only acted in self-defense and never started any violence. When Indian planes attacked on the first night, Pakistan’s military responded precisely, targeting and shooting down six planes, which they believed were responsible for the attack.
Later, India launched missile attacks into Pakistani territory, and Pakistan responded similarly. Bilawal credited the international community, especially U.S. President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, for helping the two countries agree to a ceasefire.
He said the ceasefire was a good first step, but only the beginning. He warned that the world is now less safe because the chances of full military conflict between two nuclear countries have increased. He noted how quickly tensions escalated and said that next time, the world might not get the chance to step in before things get worse. That’s why he believes dialogue and diplomacy are the only way to achieve peace.
Bilawal, who had served as foreign minister in the previous government, said Pakistan wants a complete dialogue with India on all major issues, including terrorism. He stated that Pakistan is the country that has suffered the most terrorist attacks and lost the most lives. He added that he has personally felt the pain of terrorism, mentioning that his mother, Benazir Bhutto, was killed by terrorists.
He said Pakistan’s political and military leaders have fought terrorism bravely. The military leadership has earned respect by taking action in areas like South Waziristan and North Waziristan.
Bilawal also recalled his last visit to the UN as Pakistan’s foreign minister, when Pakistan successfully completed the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) process. He said FATF confirmed that Pakistan had taken strong steps to fight terrorism and stop terror financing.
He warned that some powerful countries are now using the label of terrorism as an excuse for illegal and violent actions. He accused India of using terrorism as a political tool to target Muslims within India, in IIOJK, and across the region.
Bilawal said Pakistan is still willing to work with India to fight terrorism. He stressed that the future of over 1.5 billion people should not be left in the hands of terrorists or non-state actors who could start a war between two nuclear powers. He described this situation as the “new normal” or “new abnormal” that the Indian government is trying to create in the region.
