London (TDI): Former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said that India is attempting to sabotage US President Donald Trump’s peace efforts in South Asia, following the recent flare-up between Pakistan and India in the wake of a deadly attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam on April 22.
Addressing a press conference at the Pakistan High Commission in London, Bilawal said that New Delhi’s baseless allegations against Islamabad were aimed at derailing regional peace initiatives.
“India wants to sabotage President Trump’s peace efforts, but its efforts will be in vain,” he asserted. “The US will, if required, drag India to the table as it is in the global interest that India and Pakistan make peace.”
The conflict, which saw a four-day military escalation between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, ended after the United States brokered a ceasefire on May 10.
Read More: Pakistan-India War Threshold at Historic Low: Bilawal
Bilawal is currently leading a high-level Pakistani delegation that is presenting Islamabad’s stance to major world powers amid what officials have termed as a new phase of “Indian propaganda.”
After concluding meetings in the US, the delegation is now in the United Kingdom, and will next head to Brussels to engage with the European Commission.
Bilawal stated that the recent crisis had re-internationalized the Kashmir dispute, countering India’s long-standing position that Kashmir is an internal matter.
Read More: Bilawal Warns India Pushing Region to Nuclear War Over Water
“In 2019, India thought it had closed the chapter on Kashmir diplomatically. But now, the world is talking about it again. Trump’s mediation offer has re-globalized the issue,” he claimed.
A day earlier, US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce reiterated Trump’s intention to help resolve the Kashmir dispute, saying, “Each step that he takes is made to solve generational differences between countries.” However, she declined to provide specifics on what Trump’s next move might be.
Bilawal also confirmed that the delegation had met with members of the All Parties Kashmir Conference at the British House of Commons, who acknowledged that Kashmir is no longer a regional issue but one of international concern.
The Pakistani delegation includes notable political figures such as Hina Rabbani Khar, Sherry Rehman, Khurram Dastgir, Musadik Malik, Faisal Sabzwari, and Bushra Anjum Butt, along with senior diplomats Jalil Abbas Jilani and Tehmina Janjua.
Reiterating Pakistan’s desire for peace, Bilawal said, “Whether it’s Kashmir, water, or terrorism, we believe dialogue is the way forward. War is not the solution.” However, he warned that Pakistan would not hesitate to defend itself against Indian aggression.
He also criticized India’s official stance, saying, “India’s narrative, before and after the war, is based on lies. But the people of India also want peace. We’ve shown we can defeat India both militarily and diplomatically. They talk about war; we talk about peace.”
Farkhund Yousafzai is an Associate Editor at The Diplomatic Insight.
