New Delhi: Former Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari acknowledged that Pakistan’s Kashmir campaign hasn’t gained traction at the United Nations or globally. At a news conference, Bilawal stated that “hurdles” persist in advancing the Kashmir cause within the UN and elsewhere.
During meetings with UN officials and diplomats, Bilawal observed receptiveness on issues such as terrorism and water, but this openness didn’t extend to the Kashmir issue. This limited support underscores the challenges Pakistan faces in garnering international backing for its Kashmir campaign.
Bilawal dismissed a Palestinian journalist’s attempt to draw parallels between Kashmir and Gaza, emphasizing that the situations are distinct. He condemned the situation in Gaza, describing it as “uniquely outrageous, inhumane, and condemnable”. Bilawal also alleged that India draws inspiration from Israel, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi trying to emulate Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s approach.
“As far as the hurdles we face within the UN and in general, as far as the Kashmir cause is concerned, that still exists,” Bilawal, who is leading a delegation of Pakistani parliamentarians, said at a news conference here on Tuesday.
He asserted that in his meetings with UN officials and diplomats, he found “receptiveness” on issues like terrorism and water, but it did not extend to Kashmir.
Bilawal, who is the Chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party, dismissed an attempt by a Palestinian journalist to equate Kashmir and Gaza, a familiar ploy that some Pakistanis have also used.
“Let me emphasise from the outset, there is, there’s no meaningful comparison that I can make between the plight of the Palestinians and the plight of Pakistan, the plight of Kashmir,” he said.
“What we’re seeing in Gaza, what we’re seeing in Palestine, is uniquely outrageous, inhumane and condemnable in all shapes, forms and terms,” he added.
But he went on to allege that India was drawing its inspiration from Israel and that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was trying to model himself on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but was nowhere near him.
Islamabad modeled Bilawal’s delegation after the all-party delegations India has been sending around the world to explain its policy of zero-tolerance for terrorism and the Operation Sindoor that was launched against terrorist facilities in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir after the massacre of 26 people in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam.
After arriving in New York on Monday, the Pakistani delegation met UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, General Assembly President Philemon Yang, Security Council President Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, and permanent representatives of the US, China, Russia, France to the UN, and the non-permanent members of the Council.
They are due to be in Washington on Wednesday, when the Indian Parliamentary delegation led by Member of Parliament Shashi Tharoor will also be there.
(With Inputs from IANS)
