From Zeeshan Mirza
KARACHI: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman and former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Monday vowed to present Pakistan’s message of “peace with dignity and equality” at the United Nations (UN).
The former foreign minister, along with a nine-member high-level parliamentary delegation, is cur-rently in New York, US, on a two-day visit to present Pakistan’s stance on the recent military confron-tation with India and to challenge New Delhi’s narrative at the international level. In a video message posted on his X account, Bilawal said: “Today, we have reached New York, where, Inshallah, we will convey Pakistan’s message — that Pakistan seeks peace with dignity and equality at the UN.”
He further said that peace in South Asia was not possible without a solution to the longstanding Kash-mir dispute as per the aspirations of the Kashmiri people and in line with UN resolutions.
The PPP leader said he had come to tell the world that Pakistan stands with the Kashmiri people, add-ing that no one could deprive the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) of their right to self-determination.
The PPP leader slammed India for using water as a weapon against Pakistan. The former foreign minis-ter reiterated that he would inform the world about the violation of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) by India.
He warned that the attack on the Indus River was “unacceptable”. Bilawal said that Pakistan was against all forms of terrorism.
Beijing’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Fu Cong, called on the high-level parliamentary delega-tion led by Bilawal Bhutto.
The discussion centred around the evolving security situation in South Asia in the wake of India’s re-cent aggression and Pakistan’s consistent efforts to uphold peace and stability.
During the meeting, Bilawal expressed heartfelt gratitude from the people of Pakistan for the une-quivocal support extended by China during Indian provocation.
He apprised the Chinese side of the developments following the Pahalgam attack of April 22 and Paki-stan’s responsible and restrained conduct in response to India’s belligerent posture.
He emphasised that it was regrettable that Pakistan’s offer of credible, impartial and independent in-vestigations was rejected by India.
Bilawal reiterated the centrality of resolving the Jammu and Kashmir dispute for sustainable peace in South Asia and urged China to play its role in the resolution of the Kashmir dispute in accordance with the Security Council resolutions through multilateral cooperation and engagement.
He emphasised the urgent need for the international community to transition from conflict manage-ment to conflict resolution for lasting peace in South Asia.
The delegation also shared details of India’s arbitrary attacks on Pakistani territory, its deliberate tar-geting of civilians, its active involvement in funding and supporting terrorism in Pakistan, and the pro-vocative decision to hold in abeyance the Indus Waters Treaty — a move equated to the weaponisa-tion of water and a violation of international law.
Both sides agreed that aggressive posturing and unilateral actions threaten peace in the region and must be firmly opposed. Both sides also expressed their shared commitment to peaceful resolution of disputes, multilateral cooperation, upholding the principles of the UN Charter, preserving the sanctity of treaties and respect for international law.
