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Time of India
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
India-Pak standoff: Shehbaz wants Trump to arrange talks with India
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif has urged the US to broker a "comprehensive dialogue" between India and Pakistan. Addressing an event at the US embassy in Islamabad on Wednesday, Sharif lauded US President Donald Trump for what he said was his role in defusing a four-day military clash last month that was triggered by the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives. India has rejected all claims of a US role in bringing about a cessation of hostilities. Sharif's praise for Trump as a leader "against escalation and war" was mirrored by Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in Washington. Bilawal credited Trump's diplomacy for the ceasefire and suggested that US mediation could facilitate broader talks. "If America can help sustain this ceasefire, its role in arranging a comprehensive dialogue would benefit both nations," he said. This appeal to Trump's deal-making persona has sparked suspicion in India, where analysts see it as Pakistan's attempt to shift focus from its alleged role in cross-border terrorism and regain diplomatic leverage. Sharif's call for dialogue signals willingness to engage but raises questions about Pakistan's commitment to India's concerns, especially after dismissing the Simla Agreement and seeking US involvement.
Express Tribune
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Bilawal calls for peace, says India must honour past treaties before dialogue
Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party and former Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said on Thursday that Pakistan was ready to pursue peace with India but insisted that any meaningful engagement must begin with New Delhi honouring past agreements, particularly the Indus Waters Treaty. Speaking at the Middle East Institute in Washington, Mr Bhutto-Zardari said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had constituted a delegation with a clear mission: to seek peace through dialogue and diplomacy with India. 'You might ask why we are here in Washington and not speaking to our adversary… they refuse to talk,' he said, pointing to India's persistent unwillingness to engage. The PPP chairman emphasised that while Pakistan is open to new arrangements, agreements, and even treaties with India, progress can only be made if India first honours its existing commitments. 'If our dialogue and diplomacy in pursuit of peace are to be successful… then surely they must first abide by the old treaties and take back their decision, viz-a-viz the Indus Water Treaty,' he said. He criticised the Indian government's attitude toward dialogue and cooperation, noting that it had declined Pakistan's calls for joint investigations into acts of terrorism, rejected former US President Donald Trump's offer to mediate, and continues to rebuff Pakistan's overtures. 'India has belligerently refused. They refused cooperation on terror — you saw it. The Prime Minister of Pakistan said let's have an investigation, they said no. They refuse mediation, they refuse dialogue,' said the PPP chairman. He warned that such a refusal to engage in diplomacy would only escalate tensions. 'All that means is there will be more terrorism, there will be more war, and there will be no peace.' He added that while the Indian government may be willing to condemn its people to a perpetual state of conflict, Pakistan would not follow suit. 'I refuse to damn my people, and I refuse to damn the people of India to this fate.' Bilawal said this is why the Pakistani delegation would continue travelling 'from capital to capital' with a simple and urgent message: 'We want peace, and we need your help.'
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First Post
18 hours ago
- Politics
- First Post
Cornered and battered, Pakistan banks on Trump to ‘arrange' talks with India post-Op Sindoor
After Donald Trump falsely claimed brokering a ceasefire, Pakistani leaders from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to Bilawal Bhutto are wooing the US president to arrange talks with India. read more Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army chief General Asim Munir attend the funeral of a person killed in an Indian airstrike on a terrorist facility conducted on May 7, 2025, under Operation Sindoor. (Photo: Pakistan ISPR) After suffering a beating in Operation Sindoor, Pakistan has sought US President Donald Trump's help in arranging talks with India. After Trump falsely claimed credit for the India-Pakistan ceasefire, Pakistani leaders have launched a full-scale drive to appease the US president. While Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif made appeals at the US Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari amplified the appeal in Washington DC. In addition to appeals to Trump, Pakistani leaders have also continued their disinformation campaign about the Pahalgam attack, with Shehbaz saying at the US Embassy event that the attack was a false-flag operation by India. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In response to the Pahalgam attack on April 22, India on the night of May 6 launched 'Operation Sindoor' under which it struck terrorist sites in Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (POJK). After Pakistan attacked Indian cities and military bases, India began striking Pakistani military sites, including more than a dozen airbases, radar sites, and air defence units. After four days of beating, Pakistan requested a ceasefire on May 10 and India granted the request. Bilawal, a coalition partner of Shehbaz and a former foreign minister, is currently on a visit to the United States where he is a leading a high-level delegation as part of an outreach in the wake of the last month's conflict. It comes after India dispatched all-party delegations to various countries to convey India's message about terrorism, the Pahalgam attack, and Operation Sindoor. Trump should arrange 'comprehensive dialogue' with India, says Bilawal In an interaction with journalists in Washington DC, Bilawal said that Pakistan wants Trump to arrange 'comprehensive dialogue' with India. 'On 10 different occasions, he [Trump] has taken credit for facilitating the ceasefire between India and Pakistan — and rightly so. He deserves that credit, because it was his efforts that helped make the ceasefire possible. So, if the US is willing to help Pakistan in maintaining this ceasefire, it is reasonable to expect that an American role in arranging a comprehensive dialogue would also be beneficial for us,' said Bilawal, according to Dawn. Mocking India's centrality in the Indian Ocean Region and role in the Indo-Pacific region, where India looks at itself as a net security provider, Bilawal said that India was not even a 'paperweight' and should not at all be considered a counterweight to China. On his part, Shehbaz said that Trump is 'a man for peace'. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'President Trump is a man against escalation and a man against cold and hot war,' Shehbaz further said. Separately, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said that dialogue should India be on all issues and not just on terrorism as India maintains. Dar said that dialogue should cover issues like terrorism, the Indus Waters Treaty, and broader bilateral issues, according to Dawn. 'Whenever they [Indians] want a dialogue, at any level, they will find us ready, but we are not desperate,' said Dar.
The Hindu
19 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Pakistan PM, PPP chief praise Trump for role in India-Pakistan de-escalation, want him to facilitate dialogue with India
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan Peoples Party chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari both praised U.S. President Donald Trump at separate events on Wednesday (June 4, 2025) for his role in what they described as 'de-escalating the tension' during the recent military confrontation with India. The leaders also talked about renewed bilateral ties with the U.S. and urged Washington to facilitate a comprehensive dialogue between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, India and Pakistan. India has denied that President Trump played any role in the agreement to stop on-ground hostilities after the military conflict with Pakistan in the wake of the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that saw 26 people dead and consistently rejects third-party mediation on bilateral issues. Prime Minister Sharif was speaking at an event at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad while Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari was speaking with U.S.-based Pakistani journalists in Washington on Wednesday. Trump a 'man of peace': Sharif Pakistan newspaper Dawn reported that PM Shehbaz claimed that the recent four-day conflict had revealed the 'Pahalgam incident was a false-flag operation', and credited President Trump for playing a decisive role in ensuring a ceasefire. Mr. Sharif said that the U.S. President had shown beyond any doubt that 'he is a man for peace… and beneficial business deals'. 'President Trump is a man against escalation and a man against cold and hot war,' he added. U.S.-Pakistan ties Offering his greetings on the independence day anniversary to the US, Sharif said, the bilateral ties between the US and Pakistan are 'entering into renewed friendship, and the close contacts are being revived.' Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, with India carrying out precision strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on May 7. The intense on-ground hostilities from both sides for four days ended with an understanding of stopping the military actions following talks between the directors general of military operations of both sides on May 10. Bilawal praises Trump Dawn also reported that the former foreign minister Mr. Bilawal, who is leading a Pakistani delegation that began a three-day visit to Washington on Wednesday, said President Trump 'deserves credit' for helping facilitate the ceasefire between Pakistan and India last month. 'We should also pay attention to what the U.S. president is saying. On 10 different occasions, he has taken credit for facilitating the ceasefire between India and Pakistan — and rightly so. He deserves that credit, because it was his efforts that helped make the ceasefire possible,' he said. 'So, if the U.S. is willing to help Pakistan in maintaining this ceasefire, it is reasonable to expect that an American role in arranging a comprehensive dialogue would also be beneficial for us,' Mr. Bilawal added. On Trump's role in South Asia Speaking about a larger role for Mr. Trump in South Asia, he acknowledged, 'Yes, America has an establishment, a thought pattern. But knowing the ground realities, we are not delusional. 'We know what the realities of this city (Washington) are, what its geopolitics are, but we are here because we believe that our message is the message of truth. It aligns with international laws and relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions,' he said. The former foreign minister's comments also targeted what he described as a failed U.S. strategy of building up India as a regional security anchor. He said India has long pitched itself as a 'net security provider' in the Indo-Pacific region — a concept U.S. policymakers have also endorsed. 'The concept of India as a counterweight to China now seems hollow. It's not even a paperweight anymore. This approach, I believe, must now be re-evaluated,' Mr. Bilawal said. 'What can really provide security to this region, and to the rest of the world, is peace between India and Pakistan.'
Business Recorder
a day ago
- Politics
- Business Recorder
India's attempt aimed at creating ‘new normal' highlighted
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan's high-level diplomatic delegation in the United States has warned that India's attempts to create a 'new normal' that implied arbitrary and unilateral strikes could lead to disastrous consequences in South Asia's nuclear environment and must be firmly resisted by the international community. A high-level Parliamentary delegation, led by Chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, has reached Washington DC after concluding a two-day visit to the United Nations Headquarters in New York, said Foreign Office (FO) Spokesperson Ambassador Shafqat Ali Khan on Wednesday in a statement. The delegation met with the UN Secretary-General, the President of the General Assembly, the President of the Security Council, representatives of the Security Council's Permanent and Non-Permanent Members, ambassadors of the OIC Group, representatives of the media, civil society, and think tanks, and the Pakistani community. Bilawal urges UN to press India for comprehensive dialogue The visit was part of Pakistan's international outreach to present its perspective on the escalating regional tensions and threat to international peace and security, emanating from India's irresponsible behaviour, unprovoked aggression against Pakistan, belligerent rhetoric, and its unlawful unilateral decision to hold into abeyance the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) - a lifeline for over 240 million Pakistanis. The delegation carried Pakistan's core message of 'Peace with Responsibility.' In these engagements, the delegation drew attention to India's illegal use of force and violations of international law, including the UN Charter and International Humanitarian Law, particularly targeting of civilian areas and killing of innocent civilians, including women and children. The delegation rejected India's baseless allegations regarding the 22 April terrorist attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir without a shred of evidence, and warned against India's weaponisation of water through its unilateral hold on the IWT in violation of international law and treaty obligations. Reaffirming Pakistan's commitment to combating terrorism in all forms and manifestations, the delegation highlighted Pakistan's crucial role and sacrifices in the success of the global counter-terrorism efforts, while also drawing attention of the international community towards India-sponsored terrorism in Pakistan, and its transnational assassination campaign. Cooperation, not politicisation, was required to effectively combat the menace of terrorism, it was underlined. The delegation emphasised Pakistan's responsible, restrained and lawful response to Indian aggression and provocations, underlining that Pakistan seeks peace but will always defend its sovereignty with resolve. The delegation reiterated that durable peace in South Asia hinges on a just and peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, in line with UN Security Council resolutions and the wishes of the Kashmiri people. The international community was urged to uphold international law and the sanctity of treaties, push for the revival and normal functioning of the IWT, and support the initiation of a comprehensive dialogue to resolve all outstanding issues between India and Pakistan, including the core dispute of Jammu and Kashmir. The delegation concluded with a clear message: Pakistan desires peaceful, cooperative relations with all its neighbours based on equality and mutual respect - but will not accept aggression, impunity, or violation of international norms. The delegation comprised the following members: Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, Dr Musadik Masood Malik; Chairperson, Senate Standing Committee on Climate Change and Environmental Coordination and former Minister for Information and Climate Change, Senator Sherry Rehman; Chairperson, National Assembly Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and former Foreign Minister, Hina Rabbani Khar; former Minister for Commerce, Defence and Foreign Affairs, Engineer Khurram Dastgir Khan; former Minister for Maritime Affairs, Senator Syed Faisal Ali Subzwari; Senator Bushra Anjum Butt; former Foreign Secretary and Caretaker Foreign Minister, Ambassador Jalil Abbas Jilani (retired); and former Foreign Secretary, Ambassador Tehmina Janjua (retired). Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
