"As Far As Kashmir Cause Is Concerned...": Bilawal Bhutto's Big UN Admission
New Delhi:
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the former Foreign Minister of Pakistan and Chairman of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), has publicly acknowledged that Islamabad's efforts to raise the Kashmir issue at international forums, particularly the United Nations, have faced persistent setbacks.
Speaking at a press conference at the UN headquarters in New York on Tuesday, Bilawal Bhutto said, "As far as the hurdles we face within the UN and in general, as far as the Kashmir cause is concerned, that still exists."
Bilawal Bhutto is currently leading a parliamentary delegation to the United States as part of a government-mandated initiative to present Islamabad's narrative on recent regional tensions, including the fallout from Operation Sindoor, which India launched after the terror attack in Pahalgam that claimed 26 lives.
During his interaction with UN officials and diplomats, Bilawal Bhutto said there was "receptiveness" on subjects such as water disputes and terrorism.
A Mirror Strategy
The Pakistani delegation's structure appears to be closely modelled on India's recent diplomatic offensive, in which an all-party parliamentary delegation is travelling globally to present New Delhi's position following the Pahalgam massacre. Islamabad's move is being seen as an attempt to counterbalance India's narrative, particularly in influential Western capitals.
Since arriving in New York on Monday, Bilawal Bhutto's delegation has met with UN Secretary-General António Guterres, General Assembly President Philemon Yang, and Security Council President Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett. They also engaged with the permanent representatives of the United States, China, Russia, and France, the four other permanent members of the Security Council, as well as representatives from non-permanent member states.
On Wednesday, the Pakistani group is scheduled to be in Washington, DC, coinciding with the presence of an Indian delegation led by senior Congress MP Shashi Tharoor.
Indian Delegation's Final Leg
The Indian all-party delegation, led by Mr Tharoor, arrived in Washington DC on Tuesday after stops in Belgium and in four Latin American nations. India's Ambassador to the US, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, received the team on arrival.
Comprising MPs across political lines, including Sarfaraz Ahmad, Ganti Harish Madhur, Shashank Mani Tripathi, Bhubaneswar Kalita, Tejasvi Surya, and former Ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhu, the delegation is tasked with reinforcing India's diplomatic message: zero tolerance for terrorism and a strong defence of its sovereignty.
"In Washington, we'll have the interesting phenomenon of the Pakistani delegation in America at almost exactly the same time. There's going to be perhaps an increase in interest because there are two duelling delegations in the same city," he told news agency ANI
before departing from Brussels.
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