Islamabad (TDI): Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman and former Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has firmly rejected India’s accusations that Pakistan harbours terrorist groups responsible for cross-border attacks.
In a candid interview with Indian journalist Karan Thapar, Bilawal said there was no question of the Pakistani state supporting such activities.
“Pakistan does not permit, willingly or otherwise, any group to launch attacks either outside or inside our borders,” Bilawal stated, adding that his country had suffered immensely in its own battle against terrorism.
Referring to the staggering human toll, Bilawal noted that Pakistan has lost over 92,000 lives due to terrorism over the past few decades. “Just last year alone, we lost more than 1,200 civilians in over 200 separate attacks,” he said. “If this trend continues, 2025 could turn out to be the bloodiest year in our history.”
Read More: Bilawal to India: Let’s Fight Terrorism Together
Speaking from personal experience, the PPP leader recalled the assassination of his mother, former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, as a deep personal loss to terrorism. “I understand what families of the victims of the Pahalgam attack are going through,” he said. “That trauma never leaves you.”
Bilawal highlighted Pakistan’s multi-pronged campaign against extremist outfits. “After Benazir’s death, the government led by President Asif Ali Zardari launched a military operation in South Waziristan,” he said. “The subsequent administration also undertook a massive operation in North Waziristan. These were real efforts, not symbolic gestures.”
He pointed to Pakistan’s extensive cooperation with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) as further evidence of its commitment to countering terrorism. “The world watched our actions closely,” he explained. “The FATF process isn’t something you can fake your way through. It’s intense and thoroughly monitored.”
Read More: Bilawal Declares Diplomatic Victory Over India
Bilawal also addressed the aftermath of the recent attack in Pahalgam, Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), which reignited tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
“Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif made a very clear offer: Pakistan was open to any neutral, international investigation. That’s how confident we were in our position,” he said. “But the Indian government refused and has not provided evidence to Pakistan or the global community to this day.”
Farkhund Yousafzai is an Associate Editor at The Diplomatic Insight.
