Pakistan’s former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari urged the United States to play its role in ensuring comprehensive dialogue between India and Pakistan to address all outstanding issues.
Bilawal Bhutto, who is leading a 9-member delegation on a diplomatic mission to project Pakistan’s perspective on the recent conflict with India, was speaking to Acting US Ambassador to the United Nations Dorothy Shea who met with him to discuss the recent developments in South Asia.
The Chairman of Pakistan Peoples Party underscored the need for dealing with India’s move to hold in abeyance the 1960 Indus Water Treaty, saying it amounted to weaponization of water, Pakistan Mission to the UN said.
The Pakistani delegation — consisting of three former foreign ministers, two former foreign secretaries, two former ambassadors to the US, and a serving federal minister — arrived in New York over the weekend for consultations at the United Nations in the backdrop of May 7 to 10 conflict that raised fears of an all-out war between the nuclear-armed South Asian neighbors.
During the meeting with the American envoy, Bilawal expressed gratitude to the U.S. Administration, in particular President Donald Trump for facilitating a ceasefire between Pakistan and India.
He briefed Ambassador Shea on the developments following the Pahalgam attack of 22 April 2025, expressing deep concern over India’s immediate attribution of blame to Pakistan without any credible investigation or verifiable evidence.
Such premature and baseless allegations, he noted, exacerbate tensions and undermine prospects for constructive dialogue and peace.
Pakistan, he said, had been at the forefront in the fight against terrorism and has made big sacrifices in this fight.
Earlier, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari apprised the Permanent Representatives of the 10 elected members of the UN Security Council of the deteriorating regional security environment resulting from the recent Indian aggression against Pakistan, the Pakistani Mission said.
He highlighted that India’s “reckless” actions — including targeting of civilian areas and the unilateral holding in abeyance of the Indus Waters Treaty — represent a dangerous departure from established rules-based international order, conduct of inter-state relations and pose serious risks to regional stability.
Soon after April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam area of Indian-controlled Kashmir, New Delhi suspended Indus Water Treaty that has for six decades governed fair distribution of water between the two countries as India pointed a finger at Pakistan for link to the attackers.
Islamabad rejected the allegation and said it was open to a neutral and transparent investigation into the incident.
On May 7, Indian warplanes fired missiles into Pakistani territory, resulting in one of the biggest dogfights in recent history during which Pakistan said it shot down five Indian fighter jets including French Rafale planes.
Both Pakistan and India have sent their delegations to the United States as the competition between their narratives plays out.
An Indian delegation, led by MP Shashi Tharoor, is expected to meet U.S. officials this week.
The Pakistani delegation will be in Washington D.C. to have audience with officials and is also expected to meet members of Congress.
Iftikhar Ali is a veteran Pakistani journalist, former president of UN Correspondents Association, and a recipient of the Pride of Performance civil award
