Bilawal calls for historic India-Pakistan partnership to combat terrorism

ISLAMABAD: Chairman of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said that Pakistan is ready to forge a “historic and extraordinary partnership” with India to jointly combat terrorism, urging New Delhi to abandon its confrontational approach and engage in meaningful dialogue for peace.

Addressing a seminar in Islamabad titled “Pakistan: A Strong Step Against Terrorism”, Bilawal urged the Indian leadership to move beyond zero-sum thinking and cooperate on counter-extremism, not as rivals, but as neighbours with a shared duty to protect the lives of over a billion people in South Asia.

“All that is needed is for the Indian leadership to get off the high horse that is galloping its republic towards the abyss,” Bilawal said. “Let’s try for peace with Pakistan, sit with us, talk to us, let’s resolve Kashmir [the dispute] according to the aspirations of its people.”

He called for an end to the “weaponization of water”, citing India’s recent move to suspend its participation in the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) – a 1960 World Bank-brokered agreement that governs the use of shared rivers.

Let us end the weaponization of water and instead build a peace as powerful as the Himalayas, Bilawal urged. “Let us return to our shared traditions, not based on hatred but on the ancient land of the Indus Valley.”

His comments come after renewed tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours after India accused Pakistan of involvement in the killing of 26 civilians in Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) earlier this year – a charge Islamabad has vehemently denied. The escalation of violence before a ceasefire was reached is one of the worst in decades.

India’s April decision to suspend the IWT drew a strong response from Pakistan, which reaffirmed its position and welcomed the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) ruling. Pakistan maintains that the treaty does not allow for unilateral withdrawal or suspension.

Highlighting Pakistan’s vast experience in fighting extremism, Bilawal also invited the international community to engage with the country’s counter-terrorism infrastructure.

“Come train with us, come learn from Pakistan, learn from our armed forces, our special forces, our police force,” he said. “We have fought the most comprehensive war against terrorism and counter-violent extremism in generations.”

He described Pakistan’s counter-terrorism data and experience as invaluable to global partners. “Study the dataset of our Counter-Terrorism Authority. Few databases are richer. Let’s move towards a Pakistan rebuilt in the wake of terrorism. Some places tell a clearer before and after.”

Reiterating his offer of cooperation, Bilawal offered a vision of reconciliation: “Let’s replace partnership with perception, extending a hand is not weakness, it is wisdom.”