'Symbol Of Confusion': Imran Khan's Party, Others Blast Bilawal Bhutto Over Extradition Remark
As the controversy over Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari's remark on the extradition of Pakistani individuals continues to flare in Pakistan, now former Prime Minister Imran Khan's party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has dubbed the country's foreign minister a symbol of confusion.
According to a report with Dawn, PTI spokesperson Sheikh Waqas Akram said Bilawal's proposal was ill-advised and detrimental to Pakistan's national security narrative.
He also said such statements humiliate the country on international platforms.
'We fail to understand why Bilawal is so keen on appeasing India," Akram said, per the report.
The PTI spokesperson also said that Bilawal was proving time and again that he lacked political wisdom, vision, and understanding of regional geopolitics.
'Bilawal has become a symbol of confusion and contradiction in Pakistan's foreign policy discourse," he said.
'The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) was founded by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto on the legacy of Kashmir, but today, Bilawal is betraying that legacy by pursuing political gains at the expense of Kashmiri blood," he added.
Later, Pakistan Markazi Muslim League, a political offshoot of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)/ Jamaat ud Dawa (JuD), in a statement alleged India was involved in terrorism with Pakistan and that it (India) had been the mastermind of terror campaigns in Pakistan and other parts of the world, The Times Of India reported.
'Bilawal Bhutto is not a true Muslim; how can he offer my father like this?" Talha Saeed said.
During an interview with Al Jazeera, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Friday said that his country had no objection to extraditing 'individuals of concern" to India as a confidence-building measure, as long as New Delhi showed willingness to cooperate in the process.
His remarks came as he responded to a question about extraditing LeT chief Hafiz Saeed and Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar as possible concessions and good-faith gestures to India, Dawn newspaper reported.
'As part of a comprehensive dialogue with Pakistan, where terrorism is one of the issues that we discuss, I am sure Pakistan would not be opposed to any of these things," Bilawal said.
Both LeT and JeM have been banned by Pakistan, according to the National Counter Terrorism Authority (Nacta), while Saeed, the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack mastermind, is currently serving a 33-year sentence for terror financing, and Azhar, a UN-designated global terrorist, has been proscribed by Nacta.
Bilawal said that cases prosecuted against these 'individuals" were those related to Pakistan, such as terrorist financing. However, he noted that prosecuting them for cross-border terrorism was difficult due to what he claimed was 'noncompliance" from Delhi.
'India is refusing to comply with certain basic elements that require that conviction to take place," he said.
'It's important to present evidence within these courts, for people to come over from India to testify, to put up with whatever the counter-accusations will be."
'If India is willing to be cooperative in that process, I am sure there will be no hurdle in extraditing any individual of concern," Bilawal added.
He also expressed concern about India's vow to pursue terrorists, calling it a 'new abnormal".
'This does not serve the interests of Pakistan, and it does not serve the interests of India," he added.
Pressed on the whereabouts of Saeed and Azhar, Bilawal stated that the former was incarcerated, while Islamabad believes the latter is in Afghanistan.
'It is factually not correct that Hafiz Saeed is a free man; he is in the custody of the Pakistani state," he maintained, stating that Islamabad has been unable to arrest Azhar.
'It is our belief that he is in Afghanistan," Bilawal stated.
'If and when the Indian government shares information that he is on Pakistani soil, we will be more than happy to arrest him," he said.
About the Author
Vani Mehrotra
Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.
Get breaking news, in-depth analysis, and expert perspectives on everything from geopolitics to diplomacy and global trends. Stay informed with the latest world news only on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated!
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First Published:
July 07, 2025, 12:02 IST
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