KARACHI:
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari declared on Friday that Pakistan had outmanoeuvred India diplomatically, citing the resounding success of his global mission to rally international support for Pakistan’s stance in the recent conflict with India.
Speaking at a grand reception hosted by the PPP upon his return from a diplomatic mission, Bilawal stated that India had tried to isolate Pakistan diplomatically but failed miserably, as Pakistan’s narrative ultimately prevailed.
Bilawal led a high-level parliamentary delegation in the first week of this month. The delegation visited UN, Washington, London and Brussels to meet officials, opinion-makers and think-tanks and apprised them of Pakistan’s fight against terrorism as well as the Kashmir issue.
The delegation comprised parliamentarians Dr Musadik Masood Malik; Sherry Rehman and Bushra Anjum Butt; Hina Rabbani Khar; Khurram Dastgir Khan and Faisal Subzwari; and two former foreign secretaries, Jalil Abbas Jilani and Tehmina Janjua.
Bilawal told the audience that the delegation visited 4-5 countries at the request of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the President Asif Zardari. “I took your message to the United Nations, America, London and the European Union headquarters of Brussels,” he said.
“I want to tell you that Pakistan was successful. Pakistan’s narrative won in the international media and India’s narrative was defeated,” Bilawal said in his speech. “We conveyed the message of Pakistan, peace, Kashmir and Sindhu [river],” he added.
Speaking about the four-day conflict with India dubbed as Marka-e-Haq between May 7-10, he said that Pakistan army inflicted a crushing defeat on India, which was a seven times bigger country in size. “We all are proud of this [military victory].”
“India is trying that Pakistan failed at the diplomatic level, but I want to tell you that Pakistan was successful and India failed,” he said, adding: “Pakistan won the war on the diplomatic front because — Pakistan stood for truth and India relied on lies.”
He stressed that the Kashmir issue had been very important for Pakistan, as well as the PPP. “We raised the voice of Kashmir at many places. President Donald Trump has said that he is ready to help resolve the Kashmir issue. This is a historic achievement,” he said.
The PPP chairman condemned Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for threatening to stop Pakistan’s water. He warned that if India cast an evil eye on the Indus waters, “we will fight another war and defeat them again”.
Bilawal said that India would have to accept the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), which gave three rivers to Pakistan and three to India. “India will have to accept international law and the water treaty; otherwise, Pakistan will wage another war, and then all the six rivers will be ours.”
Bilawal told the audience that Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir came to America, when the Pakistani delegation was leaving. He added that Field Marshal Asim Munir’s meeting with President Trump at White House meant India had lost the war.
Referring to India’s allegations of terrorism, Bilawal said that if Pakistan was committing terrorism, then “why our army chief was so welcomed there?” Today, he added, the world understood the importance of Pakistan in the fight against terrorism. “This is our diplomatic victory.”
Sindh Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah, Senator Sherry Rehman, Nisar Khuhro, Senior Sindh Minister for Information Sharjeel Inam Memon and other party leaders were also present on this occasion.
