Former Pakistani Foreign Minister and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Tuesday admitted that Islamabad’s efforts to internationalise the Kashmir issue continue to face serious roadblocks. Speaking at a press conference at the United Nations headquarters, Bhutto said, “As far as the hurdles we face within the UN and in general, as far as the Kashmir cause is concerned, that still exists.”
Bhutto is currently leading a Pakistani parliamentary delegation to the US to project Islamabad’s version of recent regional tensions, including India’s high-profile Operation Sindoor, which was launched after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians.
Bhutto pushes for dialogue, intelligence cooperation with India
In a notable departure from Islamabad’s usual hardline rhetoric, Bhutto struck a conciliatory note, expressing a willingness to cooperate with India to combat terrorism. “Pakistan would still like to cooperate with India to combat terrorism. We can’t leave the fate of 1.5 billion, 1.7 billion people in the hands of non-state actors and terrorists,” he said, underscoring the dangers of war between nuclear-armed nations.
“You can’t have no dispute resolution mechanisms between two nuclear-armed countries,” Bhutto added, indirectly acknowledging India’s long-standing position that terror operatives working from Pakistani soil had masterminded the Pahalgam attack.
Seeks RAW-ISI partnership to counter terror
In a surprising suggestion, Bhutto even proposed that India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) collaborate to counter terrorism across South Asia. “I am completely confident that if ISI and RAW were ready to sit down and work together to fight these forces, we would see a significant decrease in terrorism in both India and Pakistan,” he said.
Damage from Operation Sindoor reshaping Pakistan's tone
Bhutto’s softened stance comes as Pakistan reels from reported military setbacks in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor. According to Indian assessments, at least six Pakistan Air Force (PAF) fighter jets, two strategic aircraft, a C-130 transporter, over 10 UCAVs, and multiple missiles were destroyed by Indian strikes.
As India’s own all-party delegation led by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor continues its outreach in Washington, Bhutto’s team is attempting to regain ground diplomatically, though his remarks reflect the pressure Pakistan is under post-Sindoor.
(With agency inputs)