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The Hindu
11 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Bilawal Bhutto-led Pakistani delegation in London for diplomatic outreach
A Pakistani delegation led by former Pakistan Foreign Minister and chairman of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari arrived in London on Sunday (June 9, 2025) night from Washington, as part of Islamabad's diplomatic outreach following recent hostilities between India and Pakistan. Islamabad's diplomatic exercise, comprising two delegations, was announced after New Delhi announced that it would send seven delegations to world capitals to convey its outrage on the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam in which 26 civilians, almost all Indian men, were shot dead by terrorists. India has also sought to explain 'Operation Sindoor', its retaliatory strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and the consequent armed conflict between the two countries. Both countries' delegations had overlapped last week in Washington. Pakistan is seeking international involvement in the conflict and a reversal of India's decision to hold the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 in abeyance. The Pakistani delegation in London included three other former foreign ministers: Jalil Abbas Jilani, Khuran Dastagir Khan (Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz or PML-N) and Hina Rabbani Khar (PPP). It also included PPP vice-chair Sherry Rehman (PPP), Climate minister Musadik Masoor Malik (PML-N) and Adeel Mumtaz who directs the India desk at the Pakistani foreign ministry. Members of Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party were not part of the group. The delegation was scheduled to speak on-the-record at the think tank IISS. It was also scheduled to speak off the record on Monday morning at Chatham House, prior to the IISS event, and hold meetings at the U.K. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) in the afternoon according to a source familiar with the delegation schedule. The delegation is expected to travel to Brussels after London. Ahead of their closed door bilateral discussions in New Delhi on Saturday, India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had told his UK counterpart David Lammy that India practiced a 'zero tolerance policy' with regard to terrorism and 'expected its partners to understand it'. In London, Washington and other capitals, India's delegations had been keen to emphasise, last week, that there could be no equivalence between the perpetrators of terror and its victims. New Delhi has also pushed back against any third party intervention in the conflict between India and Pakistan, most notably U.S. President Donald Trump's repeated insistence that he brokered the May 10 ceasefire between the countries and used trade as leverage to achieve it. Mr Lammy remarks in a May 17 Reuters interview from Islamabad, in which he had said the U.K. and U.S. were working on an enduring ceasefire in the region, had raised eyebrows in New Delhi.
The Hindu
14 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Pakistan's delegation in U.K. following talks in U.S. over conflict with India
Pakistan's high-level delegation led by former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has arrived in the U.K. following diplomatic engagements in New York over the recent military conflict with India, a media report said. The nine-member group on Sunday (June 8, 2025) held talks with United Nations representatives, diplomats from member states, and senior U.S. officials to present Pakistan's narrative on the conflict following the Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives, The Express Tribune reported. In response to the Pahalgam terror attack, India targeted terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, following which Islamabad resorted to military action, leading to clashes between the two countries' military. 'Our message was clear – Pakistan seeks peace,' former foreign secretary Jalil Abbas Jilani, a member of the delegation, said in Islamabad. Mr. Jilani said Islamabad sought the resolution of all issues, including the Indus Waters Treaty, through dialogue. Speaking to the media, lawmaker Khurram Dastgir highlighted the regional impact of the water dispute and called for the restoration of the 1960 World Bank-mediated treaty, which India said remained in abeyance until Islamabad ended its support for cross-border terrorism. 'We explained to U.S. officials that India's suspension of the treaty endangers the livelihood of 240 million people and undermines the region's stability,' he said. Mr. Dastgir stressed the water dispute was a matter of survival for Pakistan, asserting the country would not compromise on it. He pointed out that the Americans initially assumed the ceasefire brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump required no further involvement. "Our mission was to make them understand that intervention is necessary as India wants neither a neutral inquiry nor talks," he said. Mr. Trump claimed to have played a role in stopping hostilities between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam attack, a claim rejected by India. New Delhi has rejected a third-party intervention on bilateral issues with Islamabad. Senator Sherry Rehman, another member of the group, said the mission was focused on advocating for peace and ensuring the water treaty and Kashmir issue remained on the international agenda. In the U.K., the delegation is expected to meet senior British officials to highlight Pakistan's stance on the conflict and its broader implications. British Foreign Secretary David Lammy recently visited both Islamabad and New Delhi. 'We want stability, but recognise the fragility of the situation, particularly in the context of terrorism,' Mr. Lammy had said in Pakistan.
