New Delhi: Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, the chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party and former foreign minister, has stated that collaboration between the intelligence agencies of his country and India could greatly diminish terrorism in South Asia.
The PPP chairman, who is presently heading a powerful delegation to the United States as part of a global diplomatic effort to garner support following the recent conflict with India, made these remarks during a press conference at the UN headquarters on Tuesday, as reported by the Dawn newspaper.
“I am fully confident that if the ISI and RAW were willing to come together and collaborate in combating these forces, we would witness a notable reduction in terrorism in both India and Pakistan,” Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari was quoted by the newspaper on Wednesday.
Bilawal Bhutto’s comments come at a time when an all-party delegation led by Shashi Tharoor has arrived in Washington DC to engage with members of the US Congress, administration, think tanks, media, and policymakers over the next two days.
The Indian delegation’s objective is to inform key stakeholders in the US about Operation Sindoor, a diplomatic initiative launched to combat terrorism and disinformation following the recent terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir.
During the press conference, Bilawal Bhutto also called on the global community to stay involved in South Asia, cautioning that the likelihood of conflict between nuclear-armed neighbors has increased, rather than decreased, after the recent ceasefire.
“Thanks to the intervention of the international community — and I would particularly like to highlight the role of US President Donald Trump and his team led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio — we were able to achieve a ceasefire between India and Pakistan. This is a positive first step, but it is merely the beginning,” Bhutto-Zardari stated.
India-Pakistan tensions after Pahalgam attack
Tensions between India and Pakistan heightened following the terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22, leading India to conduct precision strikes aimed at terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on May 7.
In response, Pakistan launched strikes on Indian military bases over the subsequent three days — May 8, 9, and 10 — to which India reacted decisively.
The conflict eventually calmed after military-level discussions on May 10, during which the Director Generals of Military Operations (DGsMO) from both countries agreed to cease further hostilities.
Despite former US President Donald Trump’s assertion that the United States played a role in halting the conflict, India has consistently maintained that the de-escalation resulted from direct communication and consensus between the DGsMO of both nations.
Bhutto-Zardari stressed that diplomacy and dialogue represent the only “viable path to peace,” and reaffirmed Pakistan’s readiness to engage in extensive discussions with India — including collaboration on counterterrorism efforts.
“Pakistan remains open to cooperating with India to fight terrorism. We cannot allow the fate of 1.5 billion, 1.7 billion people to rest in the hands of non-state actors and terrorists… It is unacceptable for them to arbitrarily decide when these two nuclear-armed nations might go to war,” he stated.
India’s Shashi Tharoor-led team in Washington
Chairperson of the standing committee on external affairs, Tharoor is at the helm of the delegation, which includes Sarfaraz Ahmad (JMM), Ganti Harish Madhur Balayogi (TDP), Shashank Mani Tripathi (BJP), Bhubaneswar Kalita (BJP), Milind Deora (Shiv Sena), Tejasvi Surya (BJP), and India’s former Ambassador to the US, Taranjit Sandhu.
The delegation, which arrived in New York from India on May 24, proceeded to Guyana, Panama, Colombia, and Brazil before reaching Washington for the final segment of its tour.
During its engagements in the US, the delegation will articulate India’s commitment to combating terrorism and highlight Pakistan’s connections to terrorist activities.
On Wednesday, as the Indian delegation commences its meetings in Washington, the parliamentary delegation from Pakistan, headed by Bilawal Bhutto, is also scheduled to arrive in Washington, DC, according to news agency PTI.
While addressing reporters at the United Nations headquarters in New York, Bhutto — who, along with his delegation, met with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres — stated that they would be meeting with representatives of the US government and lawmakers in the American capital.
The nine-member delegation, led by Bhutto-Zardari and including former foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar, former information minister Sherry Rehman, former defence minister Khurram Dastgir Khan, and former foreign secretaries Jalil Abbas Jilani and Tehmina Janjua, is scheduled to visit New York and Washington starting June 2, as per a statement from Pakistan’s foreign ministry. This delegation will also make trips to London and Brussels.
The Indian delegation is anticipated to interact with members of the Trump administration, influential Congressional committee members, and key American lawmakers in Washington.
