Latest news with #Bilawal
Express Tribune
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
India paving ground for N-war: Bilawal
Listen to article Former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Thursday said India is laying the ground for the first nuclear war over water by disrupting the supply of the precious resource and disregarding the World Bank-brokered Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) with Pakistan. Addressing the Middle East Institute in Washington, Bilawal, who is also chairman of the Pakistan People's Party, said India shutting off Pakistan's water supply is laying the foundation for the first nuclear war over water. "We have declared that cutting off our water supply would be an act of war," he added. The PPP chairman said, "We don't say it in a jingoistic manner. We don't say it with any relish. It is an existential crisis for us. Any country on the planet, no matter their size, their strength or their ability, would fight for their survival and fight for their water." He asserted that India must abide by the IWT and the US and other countries must take a firm stance to not allow it to violate the treaty. "You cannot allow this precedent to be set in the Pakistan context, because we'll fight the first war, but it won't be the last. If India is allowed to stop our water, every upper riparian with hostilities to a lower riparian will have a carte blanche," Bilawal highlighted. "And if our dialogue and diplomacy in pursuit of peace are to be successful, if we are to talk to India, have a positive dialogue with India, make new arrangements, new deals, perhaps even new treaties with India, then surely they first must abide by the old treaties and take back their decision vis-a-vis the IWT," the former foreign minister noted. He said India held the IWT in abeyance after the deterioration in relations between the two countries following the April 22 Pahalgam attack in occupied Kashmir. In retaliation, Pakistan decided that it would exercise the right to hold all bilateral agreements with India, including but not limited to the Simla Agreement, in abeyance. It also announced the closure of the Wagah border and suspension of all trade with New Delhi, among other measures. Bilawal criticised the Indian government, saying it had refused cooperation on terrorism, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's offer for cooperation on investigating the Pahalgam attack, US President Donald Trump's mediation in the current dispute and more dialogue. "All that means there'll be more terrorism, more war, and no peace. The prime minister of India and his government may want to damn his people to this fate. I refuse to damn my people, and I refuse to damn the people of India to this fate, which is why my delegation and I will be traveling from capital to capital with a simple message: We want peace. We need your help," said Bilawal. "Surely, India and Pakistan working together, we can eradicate terrorism from the subcontinent. India and Pakistan working together can create that conducive environment in Kashmir where the people that live there can live there free from oppression, suffocation, and actually see prosperity. India and Pakistan's cooperation obviously would require the waters to flow freely, but it should lead to broader cooperation," Bilawal maintained.
Business Recorder
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Business Recorder
Meeting with US Congressmen: Bilawal urges dialogue, restraint and just Kashmir solution
WASHINGTON: Former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has stressed on dialogue, restraint, and a just resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute for 'sustainable peace in South Asia.' This was stated by Bilawal during meetings with American congressmen in Washington. He briefed the members on India's recent acts of unprovoked aggression, including the targeting of civilians and the deeply concerning, unilateral suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, a clear breach of international law. He appreciated the United States, particularly 'President Donald Trump, for his constructive role in helping de-escalate tensions and supporting efforts towards a ceasefire. The delegation reiterated Pakistan's principled stance on regional peace, counterterrorism efforts, and recent Indian aggression. They reaffirmed 'Pakistan's commitment to peace, responsible conduct, and rejection of baseless allegations. The delegation underscored the urgency of dialogue on Jammu and Kashmir, an unfinished agenda of the United Nations, and stressed the imperative of respect for international law, UNSC resolutions, and the Indus Waters Treaty. Members of Congress welcomed the Pakistani delegation, urging both countries to demonstrate restraint and prioritize regional peace and stability. They reiterated the US support for the people of Pakistan and its commitment to aiding the country's economic development. The delegation comprises former foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar and Khurram Dastgir; Senators Sherry Rehman, Musadik Malik, Faisal Sabzwari and Bushra Anjum Butt; along with senior envoys Jalil Abbas Jilani and Tehmina Janjua. Bilawal, meanwhile, posted a message on X on Thursday, saying he had a 'constructive exchange with Senator Chris Van Hollen on Pakistan's deep concerns over India's increasingly belligerent posture and its refusal to engage, whether through dialogue, joint investigation, or third-party facilitation'. The former foreign minister also met with Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove, Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on South and Central Asia, and Senator Jim Banks. In another poet on X, he appreciated the 'critical peacemaker role played by President Trump in facilitating the ceasefire understanding, intended as a pathway to broader, sustained peace and dialogue'. A day ago, the Pakistani delegation met with UN Secretary-General António Guterres at the UN Headquarters in New York and called for urgent international efforts to prevent further escalation in South Asia. It may be recalled that a Bilawal-led delegation has been visiting the United States since June 1 to brief the American leadership and United Nations on the latest situation in the South Asian region arising out of an armed conflict with India. The delegation members interacted with various US think tank and Pakistani community in the US.
Business Recorder
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Business Recorder
India laying ground of first nuclear war over water: Bilawal
KARACHI: PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Thursday said that India was laying the ground for the first nuclear war over water with its actions regarding the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) with Pakistan. Pakistan has launched a broad-based engagement campaign in the United States to present its perspective on the recent spike in tensions with India, and counter New Delhi's growing lobbying presence there. As part of its global outreach, the team will also visit London and Brussels. The delegation comprises former foreign ministers Bilawal, Hina Rabbani Khar and Khurram Dastgir; Senators Sherry Rehman, Musadik Malik, Faisal Sabzwari and Bushra Anjum Butt; along with senior envoys Jalil Abbas Jilani and Tehmina Janjua. Addressing the Middle East Institute in Washington, Bilawal said: 'In the age of climate challenges that are to come, water scarcity and water wars used to be a theory. India shutting off Pakistan's water supply is laying the foundations for the first nuclear water war. We have said that cutting off our water supply would be an act of war. 'We don't say it in a jingoistic manner. We don't say it with any relish. It is an existential crisis for us. Any country on the planet, no matter their size, their strength or their ability, would fight for their survival and fight for their water.' Bilawal said India must abide by the IWT and the US and other countries must take a firm stance to not allow it to violate the treaty. 'You cannot allow this precedent to be set in the Pakistan context, because we'll fight the first war, but it won't be the last. If India is allowed to cut off our water, that means that every upper riparian with hostilities to a lower riparian now has a carte blanche. 'And if our dialogue and diplomacy in pursuit of peace are to be successful, if we are to talk to India, have a positive dialogue with India, make new arrangements, new deals, perhaps even new treaties with India, then surely they first must abide by the old treaties and take back their decision vis-a-vis the IWT.' He said Pakistan wanted to pursue peace for the benefit of both countries. Bilawal criticised the Indian government, saying it had refused cooperation on terrorism, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's offer for cooperation on investigating the Pahalgam attack, US President Donald Trump's mediation in the current dispute and more dialogue. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Business Recorder
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Business Recorder
Pakistan seeks climate justice for its people: Bilawal
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has called for urgent and united action to protect Pakistan's environment and safeguard the planet for future generations, saying: 'Pakistan needs a green revolution — not just in agriculture, but in thought, in governance, and in our daily lives.' According to the statement on Thursday, the chairman PPP, in his message on the occasion of World Environment Day, urged the nation and the global community to reflect on the deep wounds inflicted upon the Earth by human negligence, greed, and indifference. 'The air we breathe, the water we drink, the land we live on — all are crying for healing. Nature is not separate from us; it is a part of us. When we destroy it, we destroy ourselves,' he added. Bilawal pointed out that Pakistan, though contributing less than one per cent to global carbon emissions, is among the most vulnerable countries in the world to the devastating impacts of climate change — facing repeated floods, droughts, and record-breaking heatwaves. 'Those who pollute the Earth must be held accountable to those who suffer its consequences,' he said, adding that Pakistan wants climate justice for its people. The PPP chairman reaffirmed his party's long-standing commitment to climate resilience and environmental protection, recalling the leadership of Benazir Bhutto, who made environmental awareness a national priority long before it was widely recognised as a global challenge.
Express Tribune
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Dialogue, not aggression
Listen to article In an endeavour to achieve a new-normal relationship between India and Pakistan, the former Foreign Minister has taken a leap-forward in his approach. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari's suggestion that sleuths from ISI and RAW should sit down for brain-storming to address the pestering dispute of terrorism is worth-appreciating. In fact, that is the way to go as the warring factions need to set in some semblance in their distrustful ties, and that can only happen when stakeholders from the security domain huddle in for a sincere de-escalation effort. The PPP leader's idea must galvanise into the next orbit of thought-process, and New Delhi and Islamabad must put behind their ulterior conventions to make a stride in the right direction. The precedent that DGMOs and NSAs had off and on been meeting to iron out grievances, especially after skirmishes and eventualities, should make a headway in intelligence bosses spectrum too, and there is no harm in giving it a try for the wider sake of confidence building measures and congeniality. Pakistan's thrust that outstanding disputes with India should be resolved through diplomacy is laudable. The stance has won laurels in the US and Russia, as well as the UN, where Islamabad had sent in its emissaries to convince the world community that India should opt for a policy of dialogue and restraint, rather than unilateralism or intimidation. The Pakistani delegates made a forceful point by telling the US legislators that Delhi should exhibit respect for International Law, UNSC resolutions and the Indus Water Treaty, and desist from war-mongering to appease its domestic agenda at the cost of regional peace and security. Islamabad's synopsis, as reiterated by Bilawal, that there is no military solution, and only diplomacy and dialogue can deliver lasting peace in South Asia must resonate in world capitals. It is imperative that the Kashmir dispute be resolved and the cross-border terrorism enigma be sorted out once and for all by huddling of heads and hearts. Let there be a perpetual de-escalation and not merely a thaw.
