Bilawal urges world to push India to dialogue table with Pakistan for lasting peace

Pakistan’s former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, who is currently leading a high-level parliamentary delegation at the United Nations, has called on the international community to actively encourage India to engage in a comprehensive dialogue with Pakistan in pursuit of long-term regional peace.

“Just as the international community played its role in facilitating a ceasefire between India and Pakistan, it must also play its role in encouraging dialogue with Islamabad,” Bilawal said during a press conference at the UN, where he addressed recent regional developments.

The statement comes amid the visit of a prominent Pakistani delegation to the UN in New York. The delegation arrived on Sunday for a series of high-level consultations.

'World less safe today'

Bilawal warned that the world has become less secure following the latest flare-up between the two nuclear-armed neighbors. “The threshold for a full-blown war between two nuclear powers has gone down, not up,” he said, underlining the urgency of diplomatic engagement. “We saw how quickly this all escalated. Next time, there might not be enough time for the international community to intervene.”

Highlighting the regional instability, Bilawal criticized India’s positioning as a security provider. “India likes to present itself as a security provider. The U.S. subsidises the Indian economy and military on that basis. But Indian actions have shown they are a source of insecurity for the region,” he said.

Calling dialogue and diplomacy the only viable path toward sustainable peace, Bilawal reiterated Pakistan’s readiness for a comprehensive dialogue with India—one that also includes the issue of terrorism. “Pakistan is the victim of terrorism. It would be far more effective if India and Pakistan worked together to fight terrorism,” he said.

Expressing confidence in the potential for cooperation between intelligence agencies, he added, “I am completely confident that if ISI and RAW sit together and work jointly to fight these forces, we will see a significant decrease in terrorism in both India and Pakistan.”

'Pakistan's visit to UN has been successful'

Bilawal stressed that Pakistan is not shying away from its responsibilities. “Let’s work for peace. But there is only one country that is running away from peace, the UN Charter, and a transparent probe -- it is India.”

He also noted that the Pakistani delegation's engagement with the UN and the UN Security Council has been well received. “Our visit to the UN has been successful. Everybody has been very receptive,” he said.

In addition to dialogue on terrorism, Bilawal proposed the creation of a mutually agreed forum where either side could raise complaints and resolve concerns without resorting to escalatory responses. “We must ensure that we cooperate to address issues, rather than react with a knee-jerk impulse to go to war,” he said.

He also pointed to Kashmir as the core unresolved issue fueling regional tensions. “The root cause of terrorism in Indian-Occupied Kashmir is the unresolved agenda of Kashmir before the UNSC. The promises we made -- and India made -- to the Kashmiris remain unfulfilled. If we continue to ignore this issue, it will remain a permanent bone of contention between India and Pakistan.”

Bilawal also addressed India’s alleged violation of the Indus Waters Treaty, urging global condemnation. “The violation of the IWT by India must be condemned across the board. We cannot allow this precedent to be set.”

Taking a pointed dig at Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bilawal accused him of arrogance, likening his policies to those of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “Mr. Modi is the TEMU version of Mr. Netanyahu, a cheap copy,” he said. “PM Modi must decide—he has two paths. He can pursue peace, or continue down the path we have long warned against.”

Recalling Modi’s past, Bilawal added, “When Mr. Modi started, he was perceived as the butcher of Gujarat. He then went on to become the butcher of Kashmir.”

Bilawal also highlighted that Israeli drones were used during India’s attack on Pakistan and condemned the ongoing situation in Gaza as outrageous and inhumane.

He drew parallels between India and Israel, noting that India’s 2019 actions to alter the demographic makeup of Indian-administered Kashmir mirror Israel’s policies in the region.