File photo of PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Wednesday stressed that cooperation and engagement between Islamabad and Kabul was necessary to tackle resurgent terrorism in Pakistan following the Taliban’s return to power in 2021.
Addressing his farewell press conference as foreign minister, he said global opinions about Afghanistan were being formed on the basis of ground realities. Advising the interim Afghanistan government to address these concerns if it wanted diplomatic recognition, he warned that if they continued to avoid responsibility, it would create complications whose primary victims would be the Afghan people.
Noting that Pakistan remained engaged with the Afghan leadership, he said Islamabad had not wavered on its “open and clear” stance about women’s education in Afghanistan. After initially banning women from securing higher education, the Taliban have since banned girls from receiving any education beyond the third grade, triggering condemnations from the global community.
During his media interactions, Bhutto-Zardari said the fight against terrorism was Pakistan’s fight, stressing it was the largest country in the world affected by militancy. He said the government wanted to save future generations from this scourge, adding enemies of Islam, Pakistan and its people would not be permitted to cause any further harm. He also expressed strong opposition to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government’s policy of wanting to resettle militants in the country.
India
During his press talk, the PPP chief slammed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for ongoing human rights violations in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). He also criticized Delhi’s 2019 revocation of the disputed region’s special constitutional status, maintaining the “Butcher of Gujarat” was working to “slaughter” the disputed territory.
Reiterating that Pakistan’s stance over its ties with India was very clear and consistent, he said meaningful engagement could not take place until IIOJK’s special constitutional status were restored. Emphasizing that India had violated international laws and relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions in taking the step, he said it had also reneged on bilateral agreements between the two countries.
“There is no space left for Pakistan to meaningfully engage with India,” he said, adding that even before becoming part of the coalition government, he had maintained that Pakistan could not expect anything good from Modi.
To a question, Bhutto-Zardari said he had traveled to Goa earlier this year to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) meeting despite serious reservations. The visit, he said, was aimed at presenting Pakistan’s stance and utilizing the space available to advance Pakistan’s interests. He claimed his participation in the SCO and clear presentation of Pakistan’s stance had pushed India on the backfoot, leading it to hold the SCO heads of states summit virtually.
On the decision to allow the national cricket team to travel to India for the Cricket World Cup, the outgoing foreign minister said that, unlike India’s “immature” behavior, Pakistan had always maintained politics and sports should not be linked. He acknowledged security concerns when the team travels to India, but said these had been conveyed to the ICC and Delhi.
Ukraine conflict
To a question, Bhutto-Zardari said Pakistan was not interested in bloc politics and only wished to serve its 224 million population. Being drawn into other nations’ interests, he said, would prove distracting. In this regard, he said, Pakistan wanted a peaceful resolution of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The minister said Islamabad did not view its ties with Russian through the prism of the ongoing issue, adding the country’s aim was unlock the immense potential between the two countries. He hoped diplomacy and peace would prevail.
To another question, the PPP chairman said Pakistan was committed to the Pak-Iran gas pipeline for the mutual benefit of the people of both countries.
Ministerial achievements
At the outset of his press conference, the foreign minister highlighted his ministry’s achievements during the 16 months he headed it. He said Pakistan had engaged with the U.S., Europe and the U.K. through bilateral and multilateral meetings; and secured the country’s removal from the Financial Action Task Force’s grey-list as well as hosting the Geneva conference.
Bhutto-Zardari said the government’s policy of visa facilitation and cooperation in science and technology had opened doors for Pakistanis seeking jobs abroad. He said the ministry had also never compromised on the core issue of Kashmir and effectively advocated for the disputed region’s oppressed people at all forums.
The foreign minister also thanked the U.N. secretary-general for his efforts to support Pakistan during last year’s floods. He said the Sindh government would provide 2 million climate-resilient houses to the province’s flood-affected people, adding a large number of educational institutions and roads had also been affected by the natural calamity.
Overall, the PPP chairman expressed satisfaction that the outgoing government had advanced diplomacy and ensured “damage control” during the last 16 months. He lamented that the former PTI government had damaged the country’s relations with world capitals and criticized former prime minister Imran Khan’s sharing of a letter sent by E.U. envoys in a public rally.