Daily Times

Pakistan People’s Party chairperson, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, on Monday, lamented that terror attacks like Pulwama would not have happened if Kashmiris had been given their right to self-determination.

In an interview to a television channel with reference to his participation as a young global leader in Munich Security Conference 2019, Bilawal strongly condemned the deadly suicide attack in Pulwama, further adding that India ‘s allegations against Pakistan were a “natural and emotional” reaction to the incident.

He also stressed, “Pakistan has a clear stance on terrorism: we neither support terrorism nor want terrorism.” The party leader mentioned how none of the leaders and social workers he had met at the conference seemed to have the impression that Pakistan is a “safe haven for terrorists”. On the other hand, he maintained, they believed that Pakistan and PPP had made major sacrifices in the war against terrorism.

Fighting terrorism was crucially important not only because of India’s diplomatic pressure but also for Pakistan’s own future, he added.

Pakistan’s failure to implement the National Action Plan was regretted by Bilawal, which, in his view, would spark criticism from both local and international forces.

He welcomed the maiden visit of Saudi crown prince Mohammad Bin Salman to Pakistan and stressed upon the importance of friendly diplomatic relations with all countries. However, he wished that the prime minister had taken the opposition into confidence on the high-profile tour. The parliament should have been consulted to formulate the country’s foreign policy, he added. Yet, he was glad that the opposition had not engaged in political point-scoring over the issue.

While the PPP was said to have performed excellently in the general polls of 2018, the young leader did express his concerns over their transparency. His party accepted the election results only to avoid making a constitutional controversy, and would soon present a white paper before the public.

Even though he criticised the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government for taking u-turns on every political and economic decision, Bilawal refrained from using the word “selected PM” to address Imran Khan because he was representing Pakistan at a foreign platform at the moment. The government should join hands with the opposition parties to come up with solutions to its problems through mutual dialogue, he added.

Last week, a deadly attack in Pulwama claimed the lives of 44 Indian paramilitary soldiers when an improvised explosive device targetted a convoy of military vehicles passing through the Srinagar-Jammu Highway in Awantipora area. The militant group Jaish-e-Mohammad has reportedly claimed responsibility of the attack, which was carried out by a local Kashmiri aged between 19 and 21.

The government should find solutions to problems in consultation with the opposition, Bilawal added.

Published in Daily Times, February 19^th 2019.