Bilawal terms India's steps irrational
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said on Wednesday that India was taking irrational steps since last week's attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and backed the government's stance that ending the Indus Waters Treaty would be taken as an act of war.
In an interview with BBC, Bilawal stated that Pakistan was taken out of the grey list of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), during his term as the foreign minister, which, he said, meant that Pakistan had no link to terrorist groups.
Since last week, tensions have escalated between Pakistan and India after the latter's baseless allegations against Pakistan following the Pahalgam attack, which killed 26 tourists. Without providing any proof, India accused Pakistan of the attack shortly after it happened.
In response, India's foreign ministry on Wednesday announced to hold the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 in abeyance, close the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi and shut the Attari-Wagah border crossing. Pakistani nationals will no longer be able to travel to India under the Saarc visa exemption.
"India is currently taking emotional and irrational steps," Bilawal said in the interview, while commenting on the recent escalation between the neighbours. "Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has offered India an impartial inquiry into the Pahalgam incident," he added.
When asked about India's allegations against Pakistan, he said that such baseless allegations had been levelled against the country in the past as well. He recalled that before his becoming the foreign minister in April 2022, Pakistan was in the FATF grey list.
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