ISLAMABAD: Former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Wednesday again extended an olive branch to India, asking the neighbouring country forge a partnership to pursue peace and jointly combat terrorism.
“Pakistan is ready to forge a historic, phenomenal partnership with India to jointly combat terror,” he said while addressing an international conference on ‘Pakistan Fighting War for the World against Terrorism’ at the Islamabad Policy Research Institute.
“Not as adversaries playing a zero sum game but as neighbours who share a moral and civilisational obligation to save a billion souls from the plague of extremism.
“All it requires is from India’s leadership is to step down from the high horse heading in the abyss and pursue peace with Pakistan.”
Bilawal also called on the Indian leadership to resolve all outstanding dispute including the Kashmir and the water crisis.
“Let us resolve Kashmir in accordance with the aspirations of the people. Let us end the weaponisation of water. And instead, build peace as mighty as the Himalayas.
“Let us return to our shared traditions grounded not in hatred but in the ancient soil of the Indus Valley civilisation. It is not a weakness to extend a hand. It is wisdom.”
The PPP chairman has been repeatedly calling for India and Pakistan to engage in a dialogue to establish peace.
Talking today, the former foreign minister said terrorism is a global crisis that needs to be defeated for a sustainable future. He also highlighted the threat of “digital propaganda” in counter extremism.
“Pakistan is not drifting through the storm of terrorism. We are steering the vessel,” he said, adding that the country has rendered tremendous human and economic loss in this war on terror.
“We are still fighting because the alternate is surrender. And surrender is not a word in Pakistan’s dictionary,” he exclaimed.
He also highlighted the rise in militant violence over the past year, saying “2024 was the deadliest year in a decade in which 685 service members embraced martyrdom in 444 separate attacks”.
Bilawal also noted the efforts made by the armed forces and security personnel in combatting terrorism.
“Over the past two decades, Pakistan’s armed forces backed by iron-willed citizens have broken the backs of Al Qaeda networks, dismantled so-called caliphates such as Daesh, and driven the TTP [Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan] from the fortress to the fox hills.”
“Operation Zarb-e-Azab drained the northern swamp, Raddul Fassad uprooted the sleeper cells in our cities and elsewhere. Today, operations in Balochistan sever the connection between separatism and foreign-funded terror.”
The former foreign minister said Pakistan supported the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, but instead faced a surge in cross-border terror attacks .
“Taliban regime was greeted as an inevitable fact. They promised the world stability, they delivered a 40 per cent surge in militant attacks on Pakistani soil, and a sanctuary for the TTP, BLA, Etim, and others.
“We saved Kabul. Sovereignty confers duty. Stop the exodus of fighters, choke the traffic of arms, and honour the blood price of the Doha accord or be judged by the company you keep.”
Bilawal said the world should learn lessons from Pakistan’s experience and achievements as the country requires development as an “antidote” against counterinsurgency.
“We need equitable burden sharing. We asked for structured investment in counter terrorism and counter violent extremism, modern technology and weaponry,” he said. “No counterinsurgency has achieved victory without first winning hearts and minds.”
He also delivered a message to the “merchant of hate” within the country, saying “there is no constitutional right to weaponise religion”.
“If the world demands we outlaw militias, it must also demand that all people live free from collective punishment.
“From the Kashmir valley to olive orchards of Palestine, the world must deliver a just peace.”
He said the world has changed drastically since India and Pakistan sat across the table in 2012.
“We have fought and won the most expensive counter terrorism campaign in modern history. After our removal from FATF grey list, Pakistan stands among the most serious counter terrorism states.
“It is time India recognises this transformation, not as a concession but as an opportunity. Terrorism is a collective menace. No border fence, no nationalist rhetoric, no regional hegemony can shield one nation from a fire it may have helped light on the other side.”
He stressed that terrorists have no nationality, religion, caste, or creed, and this menace respects no law. He called for collective global efforts to eliminate terrorism.
