LONDON — Former Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has accused India of attempting to sabotage peace efforts led by U.S. President Donald Trump following a recent flare-up in tensions between India and Pakistan over Kashmir.
بھارت کا مؤقف اور جنگ جھوٹ پر مبنی ہے جبکہ پاکستان کا مؤقف سچ پر مبنی اور پیغام امن کیلیے ہے، ہم امن کا پیغام لیکر دنیا بھر میں جدوجہد کر رہے ہیں تاکہ ڈائیلاگ اور ڈپلومیسی کے ذریعے خطے میں امن قائم ہوسکے۔
— Pakistan Peoples Party Digital (@pppdigitalpk_) June 11, 2025
چیئرمین پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی اور پاکستانی سفارتی وفد کے سربراہ بلاول بھٹو… pic.twitter.com/KGf0p8EdIe
Speaking at a press conference in London, Bilawal, who is leading a high-level Pakistani parliamentary delegation, said, “India wants to sabotage President Trump’s peace efforts, but its efforts will be in vain. The US will, if required, drag India to the table as it is in the global interest that India and Pakistan make peace for regional stability and move towards development.”
The comments come in the wake of a deadly attack on tourists in Pahalgam, Occupied Kashmir, on April 22, which India blamed on Pakistan without presenting evidence. The accusation led to a brief military escalation before a U.S.-brokered ceasefire was reached on May 10.
The Pakistani delegation has been touring key global capitals to present its perspective on the conflict. After a visit to the United States, the group arrived in the UK and is expected to continue to Brussels for meetings with the European Commission.
Addressing media representatives, Bilawal stated, “During this war, there has been progress regarding Kashmir on the diplomatic front. In 2019, India thought it had turned Kashmir into an internal matter. When Trump said there should be mediation on Kashmir, the issue is now a global issue. India has been forced to accept that Kashmir is a bilateral issue.”
On the U.S. side, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce reaffirmed Trump’s interest in helping resolve the Kashmir dispute. “So, while I can’t speak to his plans, the world knows his nature,” she said.
In London, the Pakistani delegation met with members of the All Parties Kashmir Conference at the British House of Commons. Bilawal noted the growing international recognition of Kashmir as a global issue.
He also addressed the fragile state of the Indus Water Treaty following Indian threats to suspend it. “The treaty is still intact. India’s statement (on holding the treaty in abeyance) is a violation of the Indus Water Treaty. Even threatening to suspend the treaty is a violation of the UN charter. If India suspends it, we have called it an act of war,” he asserted.
Criticizing recent statements by Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Bilawal said, “Jaishankar is a war monger, not a diplomat. If he thinks threatening nuclear war is diplomacy, then India’s problem isn’t Pakistan, it’s extremism within its own cabinet.”
The PPP chairman said Pakistan is open to resolving all issues — including Kashmir, water, and terrorism — through dialogue. “Pakistan believes that through dialogue, all issues… can be resolved. War is not the solution,” he said.
Regarding accusations over the Pahalgam attack, Bilawal stressed, “Pakistan has asked for evidence. We have nothing to hide. If India has proof… then share with the international community.” He added that India’s failure to respond to Pakistan’s call for an investigation proves the allegations are baseless.
He also pointed to alleged Indian targeting of Sikh activists abroad, stating, “India has targeted Sikh activists in Pakistan and countries around the world… employing terrorism as a foreign policy that cannot be allowed for any civilised nation.”
Bilawal concluded by reaffirming Pakistan’s commitment to peace, stating, “We want peace, stability and regional integration. All we see from New Delhi since election time is jingoism as a war policy.”