In a strong indication of Pakistan's increasing anxiety on the world stage, PPP Chairman and erstwhile foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has been tasked with heading a diplomatic delegation to a number of key international capitals. The action has come as an equalizing response to India's diplomatic overtures.
Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari further responded to India's changing attitude towards terrorism, saying that the alleged "new normal" India wants on incidents of terror is not beneficial to New Delhi either. "We have seen how after a terror attack, both nations can come on the brink of a nuclear war," he added.
He was referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent doctrine, which asserts that “every act of terrorism will now be treated as an act of war.”
The PPP leader emphasized the urgent need for dialogue and solutions to terrorism. He highlighted that resolving key issues such as Kashmir, terrorism, and water disputes is essential to restoring peace in the region.
Declaring any future talks with Pakistan to be strictly on terror and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, PM Modi made his first televised speech on Operation Sindoor, appending the dramatic comment that "blood and water cannot flow together."
India and Pakistan are both sending missions overseas in the wake of a tense ceasefire after a brief but fierce four-day military engagement last month.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's move to send out delegations coincides with Pakistan's growing desperation to muster international support, even as India's efforts gain momentum to uncover Islamabad's alleged misdeeds in nurturing terrorism in its biggest diplomatic campaign.
India has been proactively stepping up diplomatic efforts to expose what it describes as Pakistan's duplicity on the international stage. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar personally spoke to world leaders following Operation Sindoor on May 7, updating them on India's precision strikes on terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
On Tuesday, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri briefed multi-party delegations, directing them to convey India's strong stance against Pakistan-sponsored terrorism. Briefings detailed Pakistan's involvement in recent terror attacks and India's determination to hold masterminds as well as the executors accountable.
To start on May 21, the diplomatic tour is due to take 10 to 14 days. 51 delegates from different political parties, along with diplomats from seven delegations, will visit 32 foreign capitals and the European Union.
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