Former foreign minister and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari warned on Saturday that tensions between Pakistan and India will continue to increase without dialogue between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
“The region is not as safe as it was before the conflict with India, which always runs away from negotiations [with Pakistan],” Bilawal said while speaking at a press conference in Brussels.
The former foreign minister’s remarks come as he is leading a high-level Pakistani Parliamentary delegation which is currently in the European Union capital of Brussels. Bilawal earlier paid successful visits to Washington, New York and London as part of Islamabad’s diplomatic efforts aimed at countering the Indian propaganda perpetrated after the recent conflict between the two countries.
The purpose of the visits 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.
Members of the parliamentary delegation include Hina Rabbani Khar, Sherry Rehman, Dr Musadik Malik, Khurram Dastgir Khan, Jalil Abbas Jilani, Tehmina Janjua, Bushra Anjum Butt and Syed Faisal Subzwari.
The recent conflict between the nuclear-armed countries was triggered by New Delhi after an attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam on April 22, where gunmen killed 26 civilians. India labelled it an act of terrorism orchestrated by Pakistan, an allegation vehemently denied by Pakistan.
After the incident, India, acting unilaterally, launched an operation and killed several innocent civilians in unprovoked attacks on Pakistan. After three days of sustained unprovoked attacks from the Indian forces, Pakistan’s armed forces retaliated with successful Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos, which Islamabad said was carried out in self-defence.
Pakistan downed six IAF fighter jets, including three Rafales, and dozens of drones. After at least 87 hours, the war between the two nuclear-armed nations ended on May 10 with a ceasefire agreement brokered by the United States.
Expanding on the Pakistan-India conflict, Bilawal, once again, reiterated the need for dialogue between Islamabad and New Delhi for the peaceful resolution of existing issues between the two countries.
“Pakistan wants peace [….] War is not the solution to any problem,” he remarked, adding that despite the two countries possessing nuclear capability, the tensions between them have increased rapidly.
Referring to India’s decision to put the Indus Waters Treaty (IWS) in abeyance, the politician lamented that New Delhi was weaponising water.
“A ceasefire was signed with India, but peace has not been achieved,” he added while terming India’s threat of stopping Pakistan’s water as an attempted provocation.
“Pakistan will always talk about lasting peace [….] We cannot afford a third world war,” he stressed.
A day earlier, the PPP chief, while speaking to a European think tank, had accentuated Pakistan’s restraint in response to Indian provocations while warning that any further attempt to block water flow would compel Islamabad to consider retaliatory measures.
