Amidst escalating tensions with India following the April 22 attack in Pahalgam, occupied Kashmir, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has asserted that Pakistan’s resolve to fight is for freedom, not conflict.
The attack, which killed 26 people, mostly tourists, was one of the deadliest in the region since 2000. India has implied Pakistani involvement without providing evidence, a claim Pakistan has firmly rejected, demanding a neutral investigation.
Speaking in the National Assembly on Tuesday, Bilawal stated, “Pakistan had no hand in that crime. We do not export terror, we are the victims of terrorism.” He challenged India’s claims of fighting terrorism, asking, “How can you fight terrorism while practicing state terrorism in Kashmir?”
Bilawal described Pakistan’s struggle against “foreign-sponsored, ideologically driven, and brutally indiscriminate” terrorism, highlighting the sacrifices made.
“We have buried our soldiers and school children … We have fought the menace with not only arms but with ideas, education, economic reforms and unity,” he said.
He further emphasized that terrorism cannot be defeated solely through military force, “Terrorism cannot be defeated by a tank alone, it must be defeated with justice. It cannot be uprooted by bullets, it must be disarmed with hope. It cannot be defeated by demonising nations but by addressing the grievances that give it birth.”
Bilawal called for cooperation between India and Pakistan, stating, “The prime minister’s challenge to India for an impartial investigation is a start. Why would a true victim of terror shy away from accountability? Unless they are worried that the real blame for the bloodshed in Kashmir lies in Delhi and not in Islamabad.”
He appealed to India to choose peace over conflict:
“If India wishes to walk the path of peace, let them come with open hands and not clenched fists. Let them come with facts and not fabrication. Let us sit as neighbours and speak the truth. If they do not … then let them remember that the people of Pakistan are not made to kneel. The people of Pakistan have a resolve to fight, not because we love conflict, but because we love freedom,” Bilawal said.
“Let India decide. Will it be dialogue or destruction? Cooperation or confrontation?” he added.
The National Assembly unanimously passed a resolution earlier condemning India’s suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, highlighting the killing of innocent civilians as contrary to Pakistan’s values and rejecting attempts to link Pakistan to the Pahalgam attack.
