NEW YORK:
In a surprising statement amid rising tensions in South Asia, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman and former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has called for cooperation between Indian and Pakistani intelligence agencies to curb terrorism in the region.
Addressing a press conference at the United Nations headquarters on Tuesday, Bhutto-Zardari said, “If ISI and RAW were to sit down and work together, we would see a significant decrease in terrorism in both India and Pakistan,” according to Dawn.
Bhutto’s remarks come at a time when an all-party Indian parliamentary delegation, led by senior Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, is in Washington, D.C., as part of ‘Operation Sindoor’ — a diplomatic initiative to expose Pakistan’s terror links following the deadly April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.
The Indian delegation aims to engage with US lawmakers, policymakers, media, and think tanks to present India’s position on regional security and counterterrorism. Members include MPs from the BJP, Shiv Sena, TDP, JMM, and India’s former Ambassador to the US, Taranjit Sandhu.
Tensions between the nuclear neighbours escalated after India launched precision strikes on terror camps in Pakistan and PoJK on May 7. Pakistan retaliated with attempted strikes over the next three days. Hostilities eventually eased after a ceasefire agreement between the nations’ military leadership on May 10.
While Bhutto credited former US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio for brokering the ceasefire, India has firmly rejected any third-party mediation claims, maintaining that de-escalation came through direct military-level talks.
Bhutto-Zardari reiterated Pakistan’s offer to engage in dialogue with India, saying, “We cannot let non-state actors decide the fate of 1.7 billion people… diplomacy is the only way forward.”
The Pakistani delegation, which includes former foreign ministers Hina Rabbani Khar and Sherry Rehman, and former defence and foreign secretaries, will also travel to Washington, London, and Brussels in an attempt to garner international support post-conflict.
Meanwhile, India’s diplomatic mission continues in full swing in Washington, where the delegation is set to meet key figures in the Trump administration, influential Congressional committees, and American lawmakers to highlight Pakistan’s support for terrorism.
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